KEKW

What does KEKW mean?

KEKW is one of the most popular emotes on Twitch, used to express extreme laughter or amusement. The emote shows a Spanish comedian named Juan Joya Borja (also known as 'El Risitas') with his head tilted back in uncontrollable laughter, displaying his missing teeth. It represents a reaction to something viewers find exceptionally funny — a step above the more moderate 'LUL' emote. When something truly hilarious happens on stream, viewers will often spam KEKW in the chat.

Origin

The KEKW emote features Juan Joya Borja, a Spanish comedian and actor better known by his nickname 'El Risitas' (meaning 'The Giggles'). The image comes from a 2007 interview on Spanish television channel Canal Sur, where Borja was telling a humorous story to host Jesus Quintero while breaking into his characteristic contagious laughter.

The term 'KEK' itself originated from World of Warcraft, where text typed by Horde players would appear as 'KEK' to Alliance players when they typed 'LOL'. The 'W' was later added following the pattern of other Twitch emotes, creating 'KEKW'.

The emote gained popularity on Twitch around 2019, with streamers like AdmiralBulldog and xQc being credited by some for helping popularize it. The emote became widely used through third-party extensions like FrankerFaceZ (FFZ) and BetterTTV before becoming a staple of Twitch culture.

When to use KEKW

• When a streamer fails spectacularly at a game
• During particularly funny moments in a stream
• When something unexpectedly humorous happens
• As a response to jokes or comedic commentary
• When viewers want to express they're laughing extremely hard at something

FAQ

What does KEKW mean?

KEKW means uncontrollable laughter — the Twitch equivalent of LMAO or "I'm crying from laughing." Viewers spam KEKW when something on stream is exceptionally funny, one tier above the milder LUL.

Who is the guy in the KEKW emote?

Juan Joya Borja, a Spanish comedian better known as 'El Risitas' (The Giggles). The image is from a 2007 Canal Sur TV interview where he laughs uncontrollably while telling a story. He passed away in 2021, but the emote keeps his laugh alive across Twitch.

Where did KEK come from?

KEK originated in World of Warcraft: text typed by Horde players would appear as 'kek' to Alliance players when translated. The 'W' was added later in Twitch emote tradition (like 'LUL' → 'OMEGALUL'), giving us KEKW.

What's the difference between KEKW, LUL, and OMEGALUL?

LUL is mild amusement (the default laugh). KEKW is genuine, uncontrollable laughter. OMEGALUL is so-funny-I-can't-breathe territory. They're a laughter intensity scale: LUL < KEKW < OMEGALUL.

Is KEKW a Twitch, 7TV, or BTTV emote?

KEKW is a third-party emote available through BetterTTV (BTTV), FrankerFaceZ (FFZ), and 7TV. It's not an official Twitch global emote, but most active Twitch viewers have at least one of these extensions installed.