Laughi is a variant of the Pepe the Frog emote showing the character with a forced, exaggerated smile with clenched teeth. It's used to express awkward laughter, uncomfortable situations, or when someone is trying to laugh off something embarrassing or cringe-worthy. The emote conveys a sense of nervous laughter or fake amusement, often used when something is funny but also painful or awkward to witness.
Origin
This emote is part of the extensive Pepe the Frog family of emotes that originated from Matt Furie's 2005 comic 'Boy's Club.' Pepe became one of the most popular meme formats on the internet and Twitch in particular. The 'Laughi' variant specifically shows Pepe with a strained, teeth-clenching smile that became popular in the mid-to-late 2010s as Pepe variants proliferated across Twitch, Discord, and other platforms. This specific expression captured the feeling of awkward or forced laughter, making it a staple in Twitch chat culture.
When to use
Laughi is commonly used in situations where chat witnesses something cringe-worthy or awkward on stream, such as when a streamer makes an embarrassing mistake, tells a bad joke, or finds themselves in an uncomfortable social situation. It's also used when viewers are laughing at something but feel somewhat bad about it, or when trying to play off an awkward moment. The emote appears frequently during failed attempts at content, social mishaps, or when streamers say something that doesn't land as intended.
