The "WICKED" emote is a variation of the Peepo character (which itself is derived from Pepe the Frog) that displays an excited, mischievous expression with a wide grin and glowing yellow-red eyes. It's typically used to express extreme excitement, approval, or a sense of devious pleasure when something particularly impressive, unexpected, or slightly chaotic happens during a stream.
The emote conveys a feeling of "that's wicked cool" or "that's wickedly good" - hence the name. The exaggerated facial features and vibrant colors emphasize the intensity of the reaction.
The WICKED emote was first uploaded on April 16, 2020, by a FrankerFaceZ user named SeVeJj. It was created as a Photoshopped version of the Peepo character, which is a more cartoonish, simplified derivative of the original Pepe the Frog meme created by Matt Furie in 2006.
The emote belongs to the broader family of Pepe/Peepo variations that have become extremely popular in Twitch culture. While the original Pepe character became controversial in some contexts, derivatives like Peepo and emotes like WICKED have developed their own distinct identities within streaming communities, largely separate from any negative associations.
The emote gained popularity through third-party emote extensions like FrankerFaceZ, BetterTTV, and 7TV, which allow Twitch users to access custom emotes beyond Twitch's official offerings.
The WICKED emote is commonly used in Twitch chat in the following situations:
The emote is particularly popular in gaming streams where high-skill plays or surprising moments frequently occur. Its exaggerated expression makes it perfect for conveying intense reactions in the fast-moving environment of Twitch chat.
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