KEKW
KEKW is the dominant laughing emote on Twitch — posted when something is genuinely funny, the louder cousin of LUL.
Origin
The image is Spanish comedian Juan Joya Borja — "El Risitas" — whose 2007 interview laughing fit became a global meme. "KEK" is World of Warcraft's Horde-to-Alliance rendering of "LOL", and the W suffix follows Twitch's wide-emote convention. It surged on 7TV/BTTV in 2019 and never left the top charts.
How it's used
Spammed during fails, jump scares and roasts. If chat floods KEKW, something went hilariously wrong. Pairs with OMEGALUL for escalation; Sadge is its inverse.
Common questions
Why can't I see KEKW on Twitch?
KEKW is a third-party emote — you need the 7TV or BetterTTV browser extension, and the channel must have it enabled. Without the extension you just see the text "KEKW".
Is KEKW the same as LUL?
Same emotion, different intensity. LUL is Twitch-native and mild; KEKW signals genuine laughter and reads as more emphatic.
Emote facts
| Providers | 7TV · BTTV |
| Category | laughing |
| First seen | 2019 |
| Trend | ▲ #1 this week |
Related emotes
DefinedTerm + FAQPage JSON-LD, links back to channels,
badges and drops through the graph.