If you have been in a Twitch stream, or on any online platform really, you have probably seen or heard people say things like “OMEGALUL” or “LUL”. But what do these words mean?
In this article I go over the meaning of “OMEGALUL”, the origin, and how you can use this emote on Twitch and Youtube as a viewer and as a streamer.
What Does OMEGALUL Mean On Twitch?
OMEGALUL on Twitch represents intense laughter. It is a more intense laughter than ‘lol’ (laughing out loud) or ‘rofl’ (rolling on the floor laughing) and the emote is usually used on Twitch when something hilarious happens on stream such as a streamer rage quitting a match.
Besides the viewers typing the OMEGALUL emote in chat, some streamers will even say “LUL” or “OMEGALUL” when something embarrassing or funny happens to them on stream.
Although, it is definitely more common for streamers to say “LUL” rather than “OMEGALUL” just because it is shorter and easier to say.
OMEGALUL Origin?
The OMEGALUL emote, originally known as CynicalLaugh, started as an exclusive emote on John “TotalBiscuit” Baine’s Twitch channel. The emote was based on a 2013 photo of John taken at an MLG event. After removing the emote due to DMCA, other users would later upload the emote to BTTV and FFZ as OMEGALUL.
However, the version uploaded to both of these platforms were very different. Instead of a picture of John Baine smirking, like he is in the current LUL emote on Twitch, it is an emote of him with his mouth wide open and zoomed in.
The OMEGALUL emote was uploaded to FrankerFaceZ (FFZ) on September 10, 2016 by DourGent. It was later uploaded to Better TTV (BTTV) on November 19, 2016 by worthlessvoid.
As far as the DMCA strike and the LUL emote were concerned, the original picture that John Baine used to make the emote for his channel was from a picture taken of him at an MLG event in 2013.
Once the photographer found out that Baine was using a photo he had taken of Baine without asking for permission, the photographer decided to file a DMCA claim against Baine.
Baine agreed to take down the original emote, but eventually created a new emote that was based off of the original emote only this time it was animated.
Twitch would later adopt this emote as a global Twitch emote and name it the “LUL” emote. The LUL emote is currently one of the most popular emotes on Twitch and is used frequently as both an emote and a saying.
Sadly, John Baine passed away from cancer in 2018; however, Twitch has dedicated the LUL emote to John Baine for both his personality as well as the mark that he left on the gaming and streaming community.
How To Use The OMEGALUL Emote In Twitch Chat?
- Add the FFZ or the BTTV Google extensions to your Twitch account.
- Make sure the streamer has the OMEGALUL emote enabled on their channel.
- Type “OMEGALUL” in the streamer’s Twitch chat (without the quotation marks) and send the message.
- The OMEGALUL emote will now appear in the stream’s chat.
Make sure you type OMEGALUL 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 an entire article about adding BTTV emotes to your Twitch account and adding FFZ to your Twitch account. These guides are helpful for both streamers and viewers.
How To Use The OMEGALUL Emote On Youtube?
- Add the BTTV Google extensions to your Youtube account.
- Make sure the streamer has the OMEGALUL emote enabled on their channel.
- Type “OMEGALUL” in the streamer’s chat (without the quotation marks) and send the message.
- The OMEGALUL 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 OMEGALUL Emote?
The OMEGALUL emote is typically used during hilarious situations that occur on a stream. This could be a streamer hilariously losing in the game they are playing or them saying something insanely funny. Some streamers may even say the words “LUL” or “OMEGALUL” when something funny happens on stream.
Why Is The OMEGALUL Emote Not Appearing In Chat?
Here are common reasons why the OMEGALUL 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 OMEGALUL emote enabled on their channel.
- The viewer is trying to use the emote on mobile.
- The person did not type “OMEGALUL” correctly.
- Twitch or Youtube banned the emote.
The reasons listed above are the most common reasons why the OMEGALUL emote won’t work in chat.
If you feel like you have checked off everything listed above, and the OMEGALUL 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 OMEGALUL?
OMEGALUL is pronounced “omega-lul.” ‘Omega’ is pronounced normally and ‘lul’ is pronounced like the word lull, as in lull them to sleep. You would first say the word “Omega”, then add “lul” at the end. Omega-lul.
What Does OMEGALUL Mean In Gaming?
In gaming OMEGALUL means hilarious. It is an intense laughter and is reserved for the funniest moments in gaming. OMEGALUL represents the same thing on Twitch and other platforms as it does in gaming and that is intense laughter.
Are OMEGALUL, LULW, And LUL The Same Thing?
OMEGALUL, LULW, and LUL are all different emotes, but their meaning is more or less the same and that is an intense laughter. The real difference is that OMEGALUL and LULW are BTTV and FFZ emotes whereas LUL is a Twitch Global Emote.
This means that you will need either BTTV or FFZ in order to use OMEGALUL or LULW, but the LUL emote is available to everyone because it is a Twitch Global Emote.
Many will also argue that OMEGALUL is an extreme laugh whereas LUL and LULW are more casual laughs or chuckles. Again, there is no hard rule on this and it is really up to each individual’s interpretation of the emotes.
For even more streaming tips and how-to content check out my Youtube channel here. And if you want to check out my streams then stop by my Twitch channel here.
Eric streams 3 days a week on Twitch and uploads weekly to Youtube under the moniker, StreamersPlaybook. He loves gaming, PCs, and anything else related to tech. He’s the founder of the website StreamersPlaybook and loves helping people answer their streaming, gaming, and PC questions.
