KEKW: Where did the infamous Twitch emote come from and why is it so popular?

If you are a Twitch streamer or viewer of any sort, you have probably ran into the emote titled "KEKW". Being one of the most popular emotes on the site, KEKW has built quite a name for itself.

But where exactly did this emote come from? And why is it so popular?

The emote KEKW is used simply to insinuate laughter. Think of it as another version of the laughing emoji, but with a little bit more historical context laced around it.

When a streamer does something that viewers may find super comedic, the emote becomes a perfect representation of how they may feel. If something is mildly amusing or ironic you might drop a LUL in chat, but for content that's actually funny? That's a KEKW.

The name KEKW first arose during World of Warcraft. When a horde player types "LOL", an alliance player then reads it in the "KEK" chat. The "W" addition comes from the most used facial expression on Twitch, which is a W.

The origin of the KEKW emote dates back to 2007 before Twitch was even a platform. The famous laughing face belongs to Spanish actor and comedian Juan Joya Borja, otherwise known as "El Risitas".

During an interview, the actor let out an outrageous and hilarious laugh, which some people describe as the "funniest laugh ever".

The laugh quickly became historical and eventually found its way to Twitch.

On April 28, 2021, Borja sadly passed, but his contagious laughter continues to live on, making countless others smile.

The KEKW emote first found its fame back in 2019 when streamers such as xQc and AdmiralBulldog started using it. Their communities caught on quickly, skyrocketing the emote to internet stardom.

Since then, the KEKW emote has been one of the most famous emotes to date and continues to see usage across the platform.

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