face screaming in fear

This emoji represents a face screaming in a very surprising or scary situation. Its design is reminiscent of Edvard Munch's famous painting, "The Scream."

It is used when hearing sudden news or watching a scary movie. It's also frequently used when hearing a shocking story while chatting with friends.

Inspired by classic horror movie posters and Munch's "The Scream," this emoji is used in various ways in modern digital communication. Besides genuine fear, it's used to express exaggerated surprise, shock, and embarrassment, and is especially popular on social media for showing dramatic reactions.

Recently, it's also frequently used to express positive shock or pleasant surprise rather than fear. For example, it's used to express joyful shock such as succeeding in getting concert tickets or getting much better test scores than expected.