5head Emote Meaning and Origin

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James Gibson

James still remembers the day he got his first viewer; there’s no other moment in his life that brought him as much joy as that first person joining his stream. Now he’s on a mission to encourage other small streamers to keep chasing after their dreams. He’s here to share his favorite equipment and streaming tips to help you build up your views.

Latest posts by James Gibson (see all)

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• Sadge Emote Meaning and Origin - October 8, 2022

If you have ever logged onto Twitch and joined a steamer for the first time, you will likely have felt somewhat lost and confused. The communities that build up over time on Twitch almost seem to have their own language, a means of communicating with one another that nobody from the outside world would even hope to understand. Of course, this language is mostly just in-jokes and references from past streams. However, a good portion of this language will also be Twitch-specific vernacular that only seasoned vets of the streaming platform will understand; add emotes to this conversation, and most of us will be completely bewildered. 

Of course, everyone who comes over to Twitch for the first time must go through this same baptism of fire, learning slowly but surely, the cultural mores of the channels they often frequent. However, this does not mean that you might not benefit from a little extra help along the way. 

In this article, we will take a quick trip into the vast and ever-expanding world of Twitch and Twitch chat to help you understand the meaning and origin of one of the most popular emotes currently used on the platform today, the 5head emote. Hopefully, by the end of this article, you will fully understand how and when to deploy this emote, fitting in casually with some of the seasoned pros currently on the platform. 

So, with all this being said, let’s stop beating around the bush and jump right into it!

Image From Twich Fandom

Quick 5Head Emote Facts

• When did the 5head emote first emerge on Twitch? The original 5head emote was added to FrankerFacez on March 15th, 2018, by Sublimed TV.

• What is the emote based on? This emote is a satirical image of streamer Cadberry, and it is an edited form of the 4head emote. 
• How can you get the 5heademote on your Twitch account? Simply ass the FFC google extension to your Twitch account or the internet explorer you use to access Twitch.
• Do I have to be subscribed to use it? On most channels, you can use this emote regardless of whether you are subscribed or not.

The History Of The 5Head Emote

As you might imagine, the 5head emote did not come onto the platform from out of nowhere. It was inspired and made through the modification of the 4head emote, a emote that was originally brought onto the streaming platform way back in 2014. However, it was not actually used much until 2015. 

4Head

The 4head emote that inspired our titular emote today was initially created back in 2014 by an unknown person. This emote is quite simple; if you look up the definition of 4head, you will find an entry that states, “the Twitch emote represents a guy laughing. The emote is usually being spammed in Twitch chat when someone is laughing hysterically or when someone tells a cheesy joke.”

This emote sees the League of Legends streamer Cadburry smiling, and, as stated, it is often used as a reaction to a joke or funny moment during a stream. While Cadburry no longer streams on Twitch, his impact and the impact of his emote are legendary.

As of 2015, this emote began picking up traction and began taking over the chat boxes of the League of Legends side of Twitch. 

3Head

As with 5Head, the 3head emote came as a variant of the 4head emote after the initial emote shot to popularity all over Twitch. The reasoning behind this new version of the emote is relatively unknown, and the actual creator of it is also unknown. However, the differences between this emote, and its origin point is clear to see. 

Firstly, the emote is basically the same from the outset, still using an image of Cadburry smiling. However, the one major difference in this version is that the streamer now missing a front tooth from his smile. 

Watching this emote being deployed on Twitch, I would say that this emote is used in favor of the 4head emote only when a funny British or Scottish accent is heard. In other words, this emote makes use of the joke that British or Scottish people have poor dental health and, therefore, this is why Cadburry has a missing tooth in this version. 

5Head

Much like 3head, this emote came as a variant of the 4head emote, being developed to serve the same sort of job as 4head but within different contexts. The main difference between the two emotes is that Cadburry’s forehead has been warped and made far larger, thus the name 5head. 

To date, the 5head emote remains one of the most popular emotes on the platform, currently in use by over 300,000 twitch channels through the two most popular extensions, FFZ and BTTV. Currently, the emote is the 48th most popular across the platform, recording over 20 million individual uses across the site. 

Rise To Popularity

As we have already discussed, the 5head emote originated from a very popular 4head emote. This means that it was already going to be popular as a variant of such a successful emote; however, it did take some time before the image became mainstream and was used by people who were not right on the pulse of twitch chat life. 

Shortly after the emote had made its way to Twitch, one of the most famous pro gaming streamers on the site, xQc, was instructed by one of his fans to use the emote every time one of his gaming buddies made a blunder or even spoke. This fan then created a quick image entitled “A guide to xQcow’s Twitch Chat.” You can see this image below. 

After this, the 5head emote began being used in reference to Overwatch and the pro gamer that xQc shared many games with, m0xyy. It quickly got out of hand until any image displaying an enlarged forehead on the Twitch platform was associated with m0xyy. 

From this point on, the 5head emote has been deployed much more carelessly across the entire platform, being used mostly to react to moments of great intelligence or as a piece of sarcasm for when a streamer makes a particularly silly mistake.

How To Use The 5Head Emote In Chat

Now that you understand how the 5head emote came to be, we need to talk about something very important before you fire out your first 5head emote – how and when to use it. 

One of the most important things on Twitch is using the correct emote at the correct time. Not doing this can turn smaller communities against you as you signal to the rest of the stream’s viewers that you don’t quite know what you’re doing. To prevent that, then, stick to these few rules.

• When you want to use the 5head emote, make sure you are in a stream that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The best bet here is to find a gaming stream wherein the streamer is evidently not trying to become/play as a pro in the game. This will ensure that the streamer and the fellow followers watching the stream know that anything that goes down on stream doesn’t really matter and that it’s all for fun. 
• I would say that most people who use this emote are doing so sarcastically. Even when deployed to show appreciation for a ‘big-brained’ move, this emote gives off a whiff of sarcasm. Therefore, if you feel like the chat you are currently in thrives on sarcasm, feel free to use the emote liberally.
• Do not use this emote when there is little going on in the stream or starting a conversation out of context; it is more than meaningless; it just looks silly or as if you have pressed the wrong button by mistake.

Getting The 5Head Emote For Yourself as a Viewer

One thing you must understand about Twitch is that many of the emote available to you by default are ones approved and used by the big boys over at Twitch. These default options are often shunned and underappreciated in Twitch chats. Therefore, to get the good and most used emotes of the day, you are going to have to download a web extension program to gain access to them, including the 5head emote.

The most popular extensions at the moment are FFZ and BTTV. However, I would always recommend FFZ first as it is, in my opinion, the much better option. To find either of these extensions, simply type into your internet explorer “FFZ” or “BTTV,” and they will come up easily. 

Downloading and adding them to your browser will be a simple task. After this is done and you have clicked through the extension thoroughly, exploring your options, you will find the emotes of your choosing ready to go the next time you enter a twitch chat. 

You can then either choose the 5head emote from the list of images your extension provides to you as shortcuts, or you can simply type ‘5head’ into the chat box.

Getting The 5Head Emote For Your Channel as a Streamer

As a streamer, one of your main jobs is growing and constantly maintaining your community, allowing them to express themselves (within reason) in whatever way they see fit, ensuring that they are having a good time. 

One such way of doing this is ensuring that your viewers have a good amount of emotes to pick from, including ones relevant to your channel and the ones that are particularly popular across twitch as a whole at the time. Therefore, the emotes you have available for your chat box must be constantly updated and moved forward with the times.

To get the 5head emote for your stream, you will have to make a trip over to the official FFZ or BTTV site and download the web extension. Once this extension is downloaded, simply head back to your channel and use the extension to select which emotes you wish to be available to your followers. At this point, you can also place certain emote behind subscription paywalls. However, the 5head emote is so common and expected by viewers I would not advise this.

After this, your fans will be able to use the 5head emote at will, increasing the sense of community within your chat in the long run.

Types Of Channels That Use The 5Head Emote

As previously mentioned, picking the correct channel to deploy the 5head emote is very important when using the emote properly. This type of emote is not used on every stream, and some streamers may not even have it enabled. However, to keep yourself right, you should keep a few things in mind when you wish to deploy the emote. 

First of all, when you are new to a streamer’s chat, I would never recommend starting out with the 5head emote without any prior knowledge of the stream feel. Some streamers take their broadcasts very seriously. Therefore, if a new viewer marches in and starts spamming an emote that essentially calls them dumb, you may get banned fairly quickly. To this end, maybe wait a while before deploying this emote, possibly waiting for others in the chat to do so. 

Next, you need to think about the moment you are about to deploy your 5head emote. The window of a good emote deployment is usually fairly short, as you need the appropriate thing to happen on stream to warrant the use of said emote. Therefore, make sure and use the emote at just the right time, always wait for something relevant to happen, then deploy right away; there is nothing worse than a sarcastic emote being put into chat just as conversation or events move on to something a bit more serious. 

In the grand scheme of things, the 5head emote was made popular by gaming streamers and is still mostly used in this domain today. Therefore, if you are looking for a community wherein you can spam your new 5head emote, head on over to one of the gaming streamers on the sire; odds are, they will be more than happy to see your emote.

Other Emotes To Try

While the 5head emote may be a great option, you will soon get bored of only using this emote during your chat conversations. Therefore, here is a couple of other really good emotes you can deploy when the situation arises.

1. Sadge Emote

The Sadge emote has to be one of my favorites. Not only does it have an interesting backstory, much like 5head, but it is also even funnier to look at once you understand some of the contexts behind it. You can deploy this emote either sarcastically or sincerely, depending on your current mood; however, it is best to only use it when something bad has happened during a game on stream.

2. WeirdChamp

While the original version of this emote (PogChamp) is no longer available, this variant of the emote is still very popular today and is, much like the 5head emote, to be deployed only in moments of disappointment, such as when a player makes a huge blunder. 

3. KKona

If the 3head emote was developed to make fun of British streamers and stereotypes, then this is the equivalent emote for when Americans begin acting a little too American. The emote is a picture of the American streamer Konas Korner and is only ever used when the streamer or someone in their game is acting like a stereotypical American. Most of the time, the use of this emote is generally well-received in a light-hearted and jokey manner. 

Long Live 5Head

As the 4head emote continues to get spin-offs, I truly hope we do not lose the 5head emote along the way. This emote and where we are supposed to use it fits in so well with the communities of so many people on Twitch, wherein sarcasm reigns supreme, and the idea of not having such an emote is plain silly. 

However, the old maxim holds true; no publicity is bad publicity. Therefore, any new additions that do come out for this emote are surely going to just boost the original popularity of the older emotes, strengthening the group as a whole. 

As you can tell, I have a great affinity with the 5head emote, mostly because it is a perfect blend of comedy and sarcasm that fits my personality very well. I also know that others feel the same. 

So, with all this in mind, I really hope you enjoyed this guide to the 5Head emote and will feel a lot more confident when you deploy it sometime in the near future. I think it is a great emote that can be used liberally and on any non-serious stream, so go crazy and enjoy yourself. Good luck!  

Frequently Asked Questions