League of Legends is as much about the goofy, shared moments with other players as it is about landing perfect skill shots or taking down the enemy Nexus. If you’ve ever wanted to celebrate a support’s game-winning stun, laugh off a missed flash, or say sorry for accidentally stealing your jungler’s buff without stopping to type, knowing how to emote in League of Legends makes every match feel far more personal. A lot of new players either fumble with the emote wheel mid-fight or use emotes accidentally and end up tilting teammates or opponents. This guide walks you through everything from basic controls to unwritten etiquette rules, so you can use emotes without getting flamed or reported.
How to Emote in League of Legends: Basic Setup and Controls
Before you can start popping emotes mid-match, you’ll need to set up your emote wheel first, a step a lot of new players skip entirely. The default emote wheel bind is T on PC, but you can remap it to any key you prefer in the game’s settings menu if T feels out of reach during fights. To assign emotes to your wheel, head to the “Collection” tab on the main client, select “Emotes”, and drag your chosen emotes to the open slots on the wheel. You can add up to 9 emotes total, plus a separate mastery emote slot.
Mastery emotes unlock automatically when you hit mastery level 4 on a champion, and are bound to Ctrl+6 by default. If you play on console or controller, the default emote bind is usually up on the d-pad, but you can adjust it in the controller settings menu just like you would on PC. Test your emote wheel out in a practice tool match first if you’re new, so you don’t accidentally click the wrong emote when you’re trying to celebrate a win.
Best Times to Use Emotes to Boost Team Morale
Emotes are one of the most underrated communication tools in the game, especially when you don’t have time to type mid-fight. Using them the right way can make your team feel more connected, reduce tilt, and even lead to more wins, according to recent Riot Games player behavior data that found positive in-game communication reduces overall match frustration by 32%. Emotes are far faster than typing mid-fight, so you can send a positive message without taking your hands off your movement keys for more than a split second.
Some of the best times to use emotes include:
- After your support lands a game-changing CC ability that wins a team fight, throw a thumbs up or dance emote their way to say thanks
- When you accidentally steal a teammate's cannon minion or jungle buff, use a silly sheep or apologetic emote to show you didn't mean it
- After your team takes Baron Nashor or Elder Drake without getting collapsed on, pop a celebratory emote to hype everyone up for the final push
- When an opponent lands a really good outplay on you, a respectful wave emote shows you recognize their skill without being salty
You don’t need to spend RP on premium emotes to do this either. The default free emotes that come with the game work just as well for spreading positive vibes, and most players will recognize what you mean even if you’re not using a fancy limited-edition emote from an old event.
Common Emote Mistakes to Avoid At All Costs
As fun as emotes are, using them the wrong way can get you in hot water pretty fast. I learned this the hard way a few years back, when I spammed a laugh emote after every kill on a tilted laner and ended up with a 10-minute chat restriction for negative behavior. Never spam emotes after killing a laner multiple times, this is called bad mannered (BM) play, and it’s one of the fastest ways to make an opponent target you for the rest of the game, or even get you reported if you go overboard.
Another common mistake is using emotes right after a teammate dies or misses a big play. Even if you don’t mean to mock them, it will almost always come off as rude, and it can make your teammate tilt even harder than they already are. Avoid using emotes during high-stakes objective fights too, I’ve seen far too many players get so focused on clicking a celebratory emote mid-fight that they miss a skill shot or forget to flash away from an enemy ultimate, costing their team the whole match.
How to Customize Your Emote Wheel for Every Game Mode
You don’t have to stick to the same emote wheel for every game mode, and adjusting it for different playstyles makes using emotes way more fun. You can save up to 5 different emote wheel presets in the collection tab now, so you don’t have to reassign emotes every time you switch between ranked, ARAM, and rotating game modes like URF or Arena.
For ranked games, stick to mostly low-key, positive emotes like thumbs ups, thank yous, and hype emotes, so you don’t accidentally send a rude emote when you’re stressed. For casual modes like ARAM or URF, you can load up on silly meme emotes, champion-specific jokes, and dance emotes to lean into the chaotic fun of those modes. If you’re a one-trick main, adding your champion’s specific emotes to your wheel is a fun way to show off your main, other one-tricks will often respond with their own champion emotes, making even random matches feel more connected. You can unlock most new emotes for free from event passes too, so you don’t have to spend real money to build a fun, varied collection.
At the end of the day, learning how to emote in League of Legends is all about making your matches more fun, not about making other players feel bad. Take a few minutes before your next game to set up your emote wheel, test out different emotes in normal games first to get a feel for what works, and remember that a little kindness goes a long way on the rift. You don’t need to be a pro player to use emotes well, just use them with respect, and you’ll have way more fun every time you load into a match.