If you have been in a Twitch stream you have probably seen or heard people say things like “KEK” or “KEKW”. But what does this mean?

In this article I go over the meaning of “KEKW”, the origin, and how you can use this emote on Twitch as a viewer and as a streamer.

What Does KEKW Mean On Twitch?

“KEKW” means laughter on Twitch. The word “KEK” itself is equivalent to English speakers “LOL” or laugh out loud. For this reason, Twitch users will often spam this emote in chat when something funny happens on stream.

“Lol” in English, “xaxaxaxaxa” in Russian, and “kek” in Korean translate to laughter and are common when chatting online. The “W” at the end of “KEKW” conveys an exaggerated facial expression, according to Urban Dictionary.

KEKW Origin 

The KEKW emote comes from an interview done by Juan Joya Borja, a Spanish comedian, on the popular show Ratones Coloraos in 2001. In the interview Juan begins to laugh uncontrollably when describing his job as a kitchen porter and that is where the image for the emote comes from.  

However, although the interview took place in 2001, the emote was not created in 2001. In fact, the emote would not be created until 2019 when a zoomed in, still image of Juan Borja’s laugh would be uploaded to FrankerFaceZ (FFZ) and be named KEKW.

Since the emote was uploaded to FFZ in 2019 it has exploded in popularity. It is currently being used on over 100,000 Twitch channels, has over 400 million uses in chat, and is the 10th most popular emote on FFZ.

And not only has the emote become insanely popular, many streamers now will say things such as “KEK” or “KEKW” to laugh at or make fun of something that happens in their stream.

The KEKW emote is indeed one of the most well known and recognized emotes on all of Twitch.

How To Use The KEKW Emote In Twitch Chat?

1. Add the FFZ or the BTTV Google extensions to your Twitch account.
2. Make sure the streamer has the KEKW emote enabled on their channel.
3. Type “KEKW” in the streamer’s Twitch chat (without the quotation marks) and send the message.
4. The KEKW emote will now appear in the stream’s chat.

Make sure you type KEKW exactly as it appears with the correct spelling and capitalization. If you don’t, it won’t work. Also, a streamer must have the emote enabled on either BTTV or FFZ in order for it to work.

Another cool thing is that if you are on PC, you can just click the little emoji button and select which emote you want to send in Twitch chat.

If you need more help I wrote a couple articles about adding BTTV emotes to your Twitch account and adding FFZ emotes to your Twitch account. These guides are helpful for both streamers and viewers.

How To Use The KEKW Emote On Youtube?

1. Add the BTTV Google extensions to your Youtube account.
2. Make sure the streamer has the KEKW emote enabled on their channel.
3. Type “KEKW” in the streamer’s chat (without the quotation marks) and send the message.
4. The KEKW emote will now appear in the stream’s chat.

If you need more help I wrote an entire article about adding BTTV emotes to your Youtube account. This guide will help regardless if you are a streamer or a viewer.

Unfortunately, FFZ and Youtube Gaming are not currently compatible and so you will only be able to use this emote on Youtube with the BTTV extension.

When To Use The KEKW Emote?

Streamers and viewers typically use the KEKW emote in situations that are funny and unexpected. KEKW can be viewed as a more exaggerated version of ‘lol’ (laughing out loud). When something funny happens on stream, you will often see viewers in chat spam the KEKW emote.

Streamers will also use the word “KEK” or KEKW” when something happens on stream. For example, if they die unexpectedly in a game they might say, “That’s KEK” or “KEKW”.

Why Is The KEKW Emote Not Appearing In Chat?

Here are common reasons why the KEKW emote may not be appearing in chat:

• The viewer trying to use the emote does not have the BTTV or FFZ extension.
• The streamer does not have the BTTV or FFZ extension.
• The streamer does not have the KEKW emote enabled on their channel.
• The viewer is trying to use the emote on mobile (which doesn’t work).
• The person did not type “KEKW” correctly.
• Twitch or Youtube banned the emote.

The reasons listed above are the most common reasons why the KEKW emote won’t work in chat.

If you feel like you have checked off everything listed above, and the KEKW emote still won’t work for you, then check out my article here where I go into more detail as to why your emotes may not be working and how to fix it.

How To Pronounce KEKW?

The proper way to say KEKW is ‘kek-w’. The ‘e’ in KEK makes the same sound as the ‘e’ in the words red or bed. After you say the word KEK, you just say the letter ‘w’. KEK-W.

‘Kek’ in KEKW isn’t a word. It is a type of sound you make to convey laughter. Although the spelling looks weird, it is actually quite simple to say the word.

What Does KEKW Mean On Discord?

KEKW has the same meaning on Discord as it has on other platforms like Twitch. It is an emote used to convey an exaggerated form of laughter. Discord added the ability to use emotes like emojis when chatting. For this reason, you may see the KEKW emote appear on Discord.

But if you are wondering whether it has a different meaning or not, you don’t have to worry. The point of emotes is that they are universal in their meaning.

Using KEKW on Discord is the same as using it on Twitch, Youtube, or anywhere else. It means the user has found something funny and they are having a laugh out loud.

Now that you know the entire story of KEKW, go into your favorite streamer’s chat and drop a KEKW next time something funny happens.

Sources

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=KEKW

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Risitas