The 'mf' emote is a yellow face with a neutral, indifferent expression featuring a straight mouth and small dot eyes. It's used to convey deadpan reactions, mild annoyance, or complete indifference to something happening on stream or in chat. The name 'mf' is commonly understood as an abbreviation for either 'mid face' (referring to its neutral expression) or as a shortened form of 'motherf***er' in a dismissive context.
Origin
The 'mf' emote is based on the Unicode neutral face emoji (😐). Unlike original Twitch global emotes, it gained popularity through third-party emote extensions such as 7TV, BetterTTV (BTTV), and FrankerFaceZ (FFZ), where users could upload custom emotes. The exact date of its first appearance isn't precisely documented, but it became widely used as these third-party emote platforms grew in popularity among Twitch users seeking more expressive options beyond the standard emote set.
When to use
When a streamer makes an underwhelming play or tells a joke that falls flat
In response to predictable or anticlimactic moments during a stream
To express boredom or lack of enthusiasm about something happening on stream
As a sarcastic reaction to downplay excitement or mock something considered 'mid' (average or unremarkable)
Often spammed in chat to create a collective feeling of neutrality or dry humor
When viewers want to show they're unimpressed without typing out a full message
