How to emote in Fortnite [2024]

Fortnite, Epic Games’ blockbuster battle royale, has attracted millions of players and millions more in revenue—and the game has the accolades to back it up, including the prestigious BAFTA, Teen Choice, and Webby awards. 

And as one of the world’s premier video game titles, Fortnite has attracted unprecedented collaborations with major celebrities, such as Marshmello and Ariana Grande. Their in-game concerts had the likes of Ninja, TimTheTatMan, and SypherPK enthralled, as the in-game celebrity avatars performed their hit singles and utilized Fortnite’s in-game visual engine to its fullest effect. 

And just as physical concerts often have accompanying merch for fans to bring home, Fortnite gave its players some commemorative cosmetics—in the case of Marshmello’s performance, fans could purchase a skin modeled after the DJ and an emote. 

But unlike the skin, which remains static throughout a match, players had to know how to emote in game to take full advantage of the Marshmello commemoration. 

If you were one of those players who didn’t know what to do with the emote, or how to use it in game—perhaps you still don’t—read on. 

What is emoting, and how do I emote? 

You’d be forgiven for thinking that emoting in Fortnite is like using an emote on your phone: you just send a little face-shaped graphic to a friend. And the game *does* have a system like that: sprays.

With stickers, players can place either static or moving images on walls, the floor, and really wherever a spraycan is able to reach. 

But emoting is different: when a player emotes, their avatar engages in some sort of non-combative action, whether that’s gesturing, signaling, or engaging in a full-on dance. 

And with over 600 emotes (and counting) to choose from, it’d be an injustice to limit players to choosing only one emote to take into a game. Thankfully, you don’t have to. 

How do I emote in-game?

When you press and hold your designated emote button in a match, your game will bring up a wheel of six preselected emotes that you can choose from. Then, you either mouse or tilt your controller stick toward the emote you want to use, and release. 

But what’s your “designated emote button?” Well, that depends on your keybindings: 

By holding down these buttons in game, you should pull up your emote wheel and let you dance the night (or day) away!

Why should I emote? 

So if emotes aren’t used in combat, and if they usually make your character stand still, why would you even use emotes? 

Exhibiting teamwork  

Though most emotes are used alone, there are some notable—and fun—exceptions. These exceptions are called synced emotes, and using them to their fullest extent requires a friend. 

What does “requires a friend mean?” 

The first introduced emote in this line is called “High Five,” and when used alone, the player’s model holds up their hand. Any other player can then walk up and follow an on-screen button prompt. If done correctly, the two characters will then high-five… and only one person needed the emote! 

There are other emotes with this synced mechanic: “Bear Hug,” “Master of Puppets,” and “Jump Around.” Only one of the players needs the emote; the others can simply join in when prompted. And there’s just something cool about playing in an impromptu rock band while engaged in a life-or-death battle royale. 

Victory dance

If you’ve ever been the “first loser” in a Fortnite match—second place, in other words—you’ve likely seen the first-place players emote while the endgame match stats load. But why? 

There’s no formal reason—and the game doesn’t even force players to emote. Rather, it’s become somewhat of a tradition to use your favorite emote when you get that final elimination and achieve the victory royale. 

A slightly toxic tradition? Perhaps. But it’s a tradition nonetheless, so if you wish to partake, open up the emote wheel after the ending elimination animation and queue up your emote of choice. 

Plain-ole fun 

There doesn’t need to be a utilitarian reason for every mechanic in Fortnite—sometimes, the emotes are just… plain fun! Some of the dances and musical scores for the emotes are veritable masterclasses in visual animation and composition. 

Many players use their favorite emotes while riding in the back of a golf cart or waiting in the pregame lobby. Epic Games takes great care to ensure that their emotes are the peak of audio and visual appeal—that’s their selling point, anyway—and it really shows. 

So why not emote, just for kicks? 

How do I obtain more emotes? 

By far, the most direct way to obtain new emotes is to spend Vbucks in the store, which you can purchase with real money. 

The in-game Battle Pass, which grants progressively greater rewards with more gameplay and more completed achievements, also has emotes available to unlock. However, you also need to spend Vbucks to unlock the full Battle Pass, which doesn’t help players on a budget.