The face screaming in fear is peak melodrama captured in one tiny circle, channeling both Edvard Munch’s The Scream and a midnight jump-scare. It’s the universal 'AAAAGH' for shock, panic, or news so chaotic your soul briefly leaves the chat. Think horror trailer drop, unexpected bill total, or your phone slipping toward a sidewalk like it has a vendetta.
Online, it doubles as camp: the go-to for 'screaming, crying, throwing up,' 'I—,' 'I can’t even,' or that dramatic overreaction when the DoorDash guy takes a scenic route. People spam it in Twitch chats during jump scares, reply with it to wild plot twists and K‑pop comeback teasers, and even use it flirtatiously—'you’re too hot I’m screaming'—with a sprinkle of chaos. It’s also prime sarcasm for tiny inconveniences (saw a spider, lost a fry, autocorrect betrayed me) because being extra is the point.
On Apple/iOS, this icon is instantly recognizable: a yellow face with a cool blue gradient washing over the temples, bulging white oval eyes, a cavernous black O-mouth, and tiny hands clamped to the cheeks. The front-facing pose and glossy shading give it that hyper-dramatic, Home Alone-meets-art-museum vibe. It’s one of the rare emoji faces with visible hands, which makes the panic feel physical—like you can hear the shriek through the screen.
Definition
A face with wide blank eyes, open screaming mouth, and hands on face. Overwhelming fear, surprised probably pale afterwards, scare tactics. Reminiscent of "The Scream" painting by Edvard Munch.
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Emoji History The emoji code/ image log of changes.
This emoji was part of the proprietary / non-standardized emoji set first introduced by Japanese carriers like Softbank. These emojis became part of the Apple iPhone starting in iOS 2.2 as an unlockable feature on handsets sold in English speaking countries.
In iOS 5 / OSX 10.7, the underlying code that the Apple OS generates for this emoji was changed.
Emoji General Information
Twitter Emoji Popularity (Rank)
28 of 2393
Apple/iOS Picture
Google Android Picture
Google Hangouts Picture
Twitter.com Picture
LG Emoji Picture
Samsung Emoji Picture
Phantom Open Emoji Picture
Not created yet
ASCII Conversion
"Short Code" Name
:scream:
Keywords
Scream, Painting, Artist, Alien
Unicode Category Information
Unicode Category
Emoticons
Unicode Range
1F600–1F64F
Unicode Subcategory
Faces
Editorial Comment
Overwhelming fear, surprised probably pale afterwards, scare tactics. iEmoji old name: About to scream, depressed.
Proposed Unicode Information & Notes
Unicode Category
Faces and Smiley's
Unicode Subcategory
Faces
Names & Annotations
FACE SCREAMING IN FEAR Temporary Notes: Shocking (like Edvard Munch's "The Scream")
