The 'mybad' emote is used to express apology, acknowledgment of a mistake, or to take responsibility for an error in a lighthearted, non-serious way. The combination of the cat's innocent-looking face with the raised hand gesture creates a humorous and endearing way to say 'my bad' or 'oops, sorry!' in chat. It's typically used when someone makes a minor mistake, misspeaks, or needs to quickly apologize without being overly formal or serious about it.
Origin
The 'mybad' emote features a close-up image of a cat's face (often appearing guilty or sheepish) flanked by two raised hand emojis (🤚) on either side, creating a gesture of apology or surrender. This emote became popular in the mid-to-late 2010s as part of the broader trend of cat-based emotes on Twitch and third-party platforms like BetterTTV and FrankerFaceZ. The specific format with the raised hands emphasizes the apologetic nature of the message. While the exact origin streamer is difficult to pinpoint, cat emotes expressing various emotions became widespread across Twitch culture around 2016-2018, with this particular 'mybad' variant gaining traction as a custom channel emote before spreading to other communities.
When to use
When a streamer makes a gameplay mistake or misplay
After providing incorrect information in chat and needing to correct yourself
When accidentally spoiling something minor
After making a typo or sending a message to the wrong chat
When realizing you misunderstood something the streamer said
As a playful response when called out for something minor
During moments where the streamer or chat collectively acknowledges a group mistake
