What is skull emoji?

The skull emoji (💀) is commonly used in informal digital communication, particularly in social media and texting. While it was originally designed to simply represent a human skull, its modern usage has evolved to express several different meanings:

Traditional meaning: death, danger, or something scary/spooky

Modern slang usage:

• Extreme laughter (like "I'm dead" or "dying of laughter")
• Embarrassment or cringe
• Something being metaphorically "deadly" or intense
• Mockery or playful shade
• Expression of defeat or being "finished"

For example, someone might text:

Or:

This modern usage, particularly among younger generations on social media, has largely shifted away from the literal meaning of death toward these more casual, often humorous applications.