bub is a cozy, wholesome emote depicting a dog curled up sleeping peacefully in a round pet bed. It's used to express feelings of comfort, relaxation, sleepiness, or contentment. The emote conveys a sense of being cozy and at peace, often used when chatters are tired, ready for bed, or feeling comfortable and relaxed.
Origin
This emote appears to be a custom emote likely added through 7TV, FrankerFaceZ (FFZ), or BetterTTV (BTTV). The image shows what appears to be a real photograph of a sleeping dog in a bed, which has been adapted into an emote format. The term 'bub' is a common affectionate term for dogs (similar to 'pupper' or 'doggo' in internet culture). While the exact origin date and streamer who first used it isn't definitively documented in mainstream emote databases, custom pet emotes like this have become increasingly popular across Twitch since the mid-2010s as third-party emote extensions gained popularity. The wholesome pet emote trend particularly grew around 2018-2020 as streamers began adding their own pets or community-favorite animal images as custom emotes.
When to use
When chatters are tired or about to go to sleep
During slow or calm moments in a stream
To express contentment or satisfaction
When the streamer or chat is in a relaxed, chill mood
As a wholesome response to cozy or comfortable content
When someone mentions being tired or wanting to nap
During late-night streams when viewers are getting sleepy
