Awkward

The "Awkward" emote features a prairie dog (often misidentified as a hamster or chipmunk) making a dramatic turn toward the camera with an intense stare. This emote is used to express awkwardness, discomfort, or tension in chat. It captures that moment when something uncomfortable happens in a stream and viewers want to acknowledge the awkward silence or situation.

The emote originates from a 2001 Japanese TV show called "Hello! Morning" where a prairie dog makes a quick, dramatic turn toward the camera. The clip went viral in 2007 after being uploaded as a short video with dramatic music added to it, becoming widely known as the "Dramatic Chipmunk" meme (despite being a prairie dog, not a chipmunk).

The meme gained massive popularity across early internet platforms like Digg and 4chan, eventually making its way to Twitch culture. The "Awkward" emote specifically is available on 7TV, which is a third-party emote extension platform for Twitch and YouTube that hosts many meme-based emotes. The exact date of its addition to 7TV isn't specified, but it became a staple reaction emote in the late 2010s and early 2020s.

The "Awkward" emote is typically used in Twitch chat in the following situations:

• When there's an uncomfortable silence during a stream
• After a streamer makes a joke that falls flat
• When someone says something inappropriate or strange in chat
• During cringe-worthy moments in gameplay or conversation
• When there's a sudden, unexpected revelation or confession
• To highlight social missteps or faux pas during streams
• When the stream encounters technical difficulties creating an awkward pause

The emote effectively communicates that collective feeling of "yikes" or "this is uncomfortable" that viewers experience simultaneously.