Emote Naming Conventions: Best Practices for Twitch, Discord & Kick (2025)

A great emote with a terrible name is a wasted emote. Naming conventions might seem trivial, but they determine whether your emotes get used constantly or forgotten. Get it right, and your emotes become part of your community's language. Get it wrong, and even great designs gather dust.

After seeing how emotes perform across thousands of channels, clear patterns emerge about what works and what doesn't. Here's how to name your emotes for maximum impact.

Platform-Specific Naming Rules

Twitch

Character limit: 2-25 characters
Allowed characters: Letters (a-z, A-Z), numbers (0-9), underscores (_)
Case sensitive: Yes (myEmote and MyEmote are different)
Prefix requirement: Each emote must start with a unique prefix tied to the channel
No spaces: Use camelCase or underscores

Discord

Character limit: 2-32 characters
Allowed characters: Letters, numbers, underscores
Case sensitive: No (discord lowercases internally)
No prefix needed: Server-specific already

Kick

Character limit: 2-20 characters
Allowed characters: Alphanumeric and underscores
Similar to Twitch: Familiar conventions apply

The Prefix Strategy (Twitch)

On Twitch, every channel emote needs a unique prefix. This isn't optional—it's how the system distinguishes your "Hype" from every other channel's "Hype."

Common Prefix Approaches

Channel Name

Use your channel name or abbreviation:

ninja + Hype = ninjaHype
DrDisrespect + Rage = docRage

Custom Brand Tag

Create a short, unique tag:

xqc + L = xqcL
pog + Champion = pogChamp (before it became global)

Abbreviated Name

Shorten to 2-4 characters:

TimTheTatman → tim
Pokimane → poki

Prefix Best Practices

Keep it short: 2-5 characters is ideal
Make it memorable: Should be easy to type and remember
Be consistent: Every emote uses the same prefix
Check availability: Ensure no global emotes use your prefix

The Suffix: Describing the Emotion

The suffix describes what the emote does. This is where descriptive naming helps:

Common Emotion Suffixes

Emotion	Common Suffixes
Happy/Excited	Hype, Pog, Dance, Party, Vibe
Sad/Upset	Cry, Sad, Pain, Oof, F
Laughing	LOL, LUL, Laugh, KEKW, Dead
Love	Love, Heart, Cute, UwU, Simp
Angry	Rage, Mad, Scream, Yell
Shocked	Shock, Gasp, Omg, Stare
Sleepy	Sleep, Zzz, Tired, Bed
Greeting	Hi, Wave, Hey, Yo

Naming Patterns That Work

Pattern 1: PrefixEmotion

The most common and reliable pattern:

channelHype
channelLove
channelSad

Pattern 2: PrefixAction

For action-based emotes:

channelDance
channelWave
channelSip

Pattern 3: PrefixMeme

For inside jokes or community references:

channelPepega
channelMonka
channelSmug

Common Naming Mistakes

Too Long

Nobody wants to type "myChannelNameExcitedHappyDance" in chat. Aim for 10-15 characters total, including prefix.

Too Cryptic

If people can't guess what "xq7zB" means, they won't use it. Names should hint at the emote's purpose.

Inconsistent Capitalization

Pick camelCase or PascalCase and stick with it across all emotes:

✓ channelHype, channelLove, channelSad
✗ channelHype, ChannelLove, channelsad

Numbers Instead of Words

Unless your brand specifically uses numbers, avoid "channel1", "channel2" naming. It's not descriptive.

Making Emotes Memorable

Use Familiar References

Building on existing emote culture helps adoption:

channelW (plays on xqcL pattern)
channelPog (universally understood)
channelPepe (familiar meme reference)

Create Signature Terms

Some channels create unique terms that become community language:

A unique greeting only your community uses
An inside joke reference
A channel-specific expression

Keep Core Emotes Simple

Your most-used emotes should have the shortest, simplest names. Save creative names for special occasion emotes.

Organizing Your Emote Names

As your channel grows, you'll have many emotes. Planning helps:

Create Categories

Reactions: channelHype, channelSad, channelLove
Actions: channelDance, channelWave, channelSip
Expressions: channelSmug, channelStare, channelBlush
Community: channelHello, channelGG, channelBye

Document Your Naming Convention

Write down your rules so future emotes stay consistent. Share with any artists you commission.

Cross-Platform Consistency

If you use emotes on Twitch, Discord, Kick, and YouTube, try to keep names consistent when possible:

Same prefix across platforms (when allowed)
Same suffix describing the emotion
Similar enough that community members recognize them anywhere

This builds brand recognition and helps your community feel at home on any platform.

Final Thoughts

Good emote names are invisible—they just feel right. Bad emote names create friction every time someone tries to use them. Invest time upfront in a consistent naming convention, and your community will adopt your emotes naturally.

Remember: short, descriptive, consistent. Master those three principles, and your emote names will serve your community well.

Once your naming is sorted, use StreamEmote to resize your designs for every platform—properly named, properly sized, ready for your community.