The best Fortnite emotes in 2026 are the ones players actually use and recognize: Get Griddy and Popular Vibe, the two most-used emotes ever by fortnite.gg's count, and the OG Battle Pass classics such as Floss, Take the L and Orange Justice that can no longer be earned. If you want one for free, Boogie Down unlocks when you turn on two-factor authentication, and most Icon Series favorites cost 500 V-Bucks whenever they rotate back into the Item Shop.
We checked every emote here in November 2026 against the Fortnite Wiki's emote pages and the fortnite.gg usage figures they cite, Fortnite-API's cosmetic database, Dexerto's September 2026 rarest emotes list, TheGamer's most popular emotes countdown, Wikipedia's Orange Justice article and Epic's help articles on emote wheels, pass items and 2FA rewards.
The Most-Used Emotes in Fortnite
If "best" means what the community actually reaches for, two emotes sit clearly at the top. The Fortnite Wiki cites fortnite.gg's most-used list for both, and the gap between them is small.
- Get Griddy: the most-used emote of all time, with more than 255.6 million uses. It is an Icon Series emote set to "Right Foot Creep" by YoungBoy Never Broke Again, first released in Chapter 2 Season 6 on April 29, 2021, and sold for 500 V-Bucks on its own or 2,200 V-Bucks in Justin Jefferson's Locker Bundle. The wiki's shop history, updated August 13, 2026, lists it as last seen on May 10, 2026.
- Popular Vibe: second, with more than 251 million uses. It is part of The Weeknd set from Chapter 5 Season 1, released December 9, 2023, and costs 500 V-Bucks alone or 3,500 with The Weeknd Bundle. The same shop history lists it as last seen on September 25, 2025.
Both are Icon Series emotes, which means licensed music and a dance people already know from outside the game. That combination helps explain why they lead the usage charts. They also rotate back into the shop from time to time rather than disappearing for good: the wiki counts 98 shop appearances for Get Griddy and 139 for Popular Vibe. If you missed them, the realistic plan is simply to watch the Item Shop.
Usage counts favor emotes that have been around for years, so treat them as a measure of staying power rather than a ranking of what is newest. A brand-new collaboration emote can be everywhere for a week and still sit far below these two on an all-time count.
OG Classics You Can No Longer Earn
The other kind of "best" is prestige. Early Battle Pass emotes are the ones that still turn heads, because they were earned in a specific season and have not come back. Dexerto's September 2026 list gives the original tiers for several of them:
- Floss: Chapter 1 Season 2 Battle Pass, tier 49. Fortnite-API's database lists it as a Rare emote introduced in Chapter 1 Season 2.
- The Worm: Season 2 Battle Pass, tier 28.
- Take the L: Season 3 Battle Pass, tier 31, a Rare emote that Dexerto says never returned.
- Best Mates and The Robot: Season 3 Battle Pass, tiers 63 and 95.
- Hype and Groove Jam: Season 4 Battle Pass, tiers 63 and 95.
Orange Justice belongs on the same shelf with a better story behind it. Wikipedia's article traces it to a dance a young player submitted to Epic's 2018 Boogie Down contest; he did not win, but a community campaign pushed Epic to add the dance, and it arrived as the tier 26 reward of the Season 4 Battle Pass.
Can any of these return? Epic's help article on pass items says that starting with Chapter 5 Season 4, items from passes might come to the Item Shop 18 or more months after the pass expires, with no promise for any item. That statement does not cover passes from before Chapter 5 Season 4, so there is nothing official suggesting Floss or Take the L will be sold again. Our Battle Pass explainer covers how that newer rule works.
Icon Series and Shop Staples Worth the V-Bucks
For emotes you can still buy, TheGamer's countdown of the most popular emotes of all time, built on fortnite.gg's usage data, is a good shopping list. These are the entries from places 25 to 16, all of which have appeared in the Item Shop or a Battle Pass:
- The Squabble: Icon Series, 300 V-Bucks, set to "Soak City (Do It)" by 310babii.
- Toosie Slide: Icon Series, 500 V-Bucks, Drake's song of the same name.
- Dancin' Domino: Icon Series, 500 V-Bucks, set to Jessie J's "Domino".
- Go Mufasa: Icon Series, 500 V-Bucks, set to DaBaby's "BOP".
- My World: Icon Series, 500 V-Bucks, set to "Fly N Ghetto" by Ayo and Teo.
- Real Slim Shady: Icon Series, 500 V-Bucks, from the Eminem set.
- Bear Hug and Slow Clap: Uncommon, 200 V-Bucks each, the cheapest picks on the list.
- Steady and I'm A Mystery: Battle Pass emotes from Chapter 3 Season 3 and Chapter 5 Season 1.
The pattern is clear: Icon Series emotes usually cost 500 V-Bucks, and the most-used ones lean on songs people already know. If you are buying one emote this season, pick from that group rather than a random Uncommon, because those are the ones other players will recognize.
New collaboration emotes keep arriving too. The One Piece crossover that launched the Treasure Hunters mini-season on November 1 included the Multi-Punches Flex emote at 300 V-Bucks, according to unplayed.gg's price tracking. If you buy an emote and change your mind, the free 24-hour cancel only works if you have not used it yet, which our refund guide explains.
Free and Nearly Free Picks
The best free emote in the game is Boogie Down. Epic's rewards article says it unlocks when you secure your Epic account with two-factor authentication, and Fortnite-API lists it as an Epic-rarity emote introduced in Chapter 1 Season 4. It is also a piece of history: Dexerto traces it to the same 2018 community contest that produced Orange Justice, and its in-game description still reads Boogie Down with Populotus. Our 2FA guide shows how to switch the setting on.
Beyond that, free emotes come and go with events and promotions. The luckiest players this season have another option: VICE reported that the Pirate Shop token from Treasure Hunters chests lets you claim Item Shop cosmetics for free during a 14-day window, and Dot Esports lists emotes among the eligible items. The token is rare, but if your squad finds one, the emote section of the shop is fair game. Our free skins roundup covers how the token works.
If you would rather give than receive, emotes make easy gifts, since many cost only a few hundred V-Bucks. Gifting needs 2FA, a friendship of at least two days and an emote that is in today's shop, all covered in our gifting guide.
Rare Shop Emotes That Stopped Rotating
Not every rare emote came from a Battle Pass. Some were sold in the Item Shop and then stopped appearing. Dexerto's list includes several with very short or very old shop runs:
- Fresh: released December 16, 2017 and last seen November 21, 2018. Dexerto ranks it as the rarest emote in the game.
- Head Banger: 300 V-Bucks in the Travis Scott set, seen only from April 22 to April 27, 2020.
- Zombie Shambles: 200 V-Bucks, sold for a single day on November 6, 2020.
- Rambunctious: 500 V-Bucks, released June 9, 2018 and last seen December 7, 2022.
- Laugh It Up: 500 V-Bucks, released June 4, 2018 and last seen May 19, 2022.
Treat shop rarity as a snapshot rather than a verdict. We found no Epic statement saying these emotes will stay gone, though Dexerto says Fresh was reportedly pulled over legal issues and describes Rambunctious as stuck in legal limbo after being removed quietly. Some have been missing for years, which is exactly why they feel rare, but a shop emote returning would not contradict any policy Epic has published.
Setting Up Your Emote Wheel
Owning good emotes only helps if they are on your wheel. Epic's help article explains the layout. In the Locker, open the Emote edit menu and choose up to six emotes for your first wheel. That wheel may keep one or two slots empty for built-in emotes that come with the outfit you are wearing, and those slots stay blank if your outfit has none. Your second wheel fills automatically with the emotes you mark as favorites in the Locker.
Built-in emotes are a separate category. Epic says they only work while the item that grants them is equipped, and they appear in the Locker section of the in-game emote wheel rather than in the lobby locker. When you preview one, a note in the corner labels it as built in. A practical setup is to put your most-used emotes on the first wheel and use favorites for everything you rotate in and out.
Want an OG Emote You Missed?
Since the Chapter 1 pass emotes are not sold anymore, the only way to have one is an account that earned it at the time. The store's Fortnite Full Access Accounts with Emote listing offers exactly that kind of account: a full access account with an emote-focused inventory, email included, described as verified and ready to play. Options on the page include Take the L, Floss, Tidy, Ride The Pony, Freestylin' and Rambunctious, all Chapter 1 emotes according to Fortnite-API, from Season 2 for Floss and Ride The Pony to Season 4 for Freestylin' and Rambunctious.
It is a separate account rather than an emote added to yours, and Epic's account security guidance says its terms do not allow buying, selling or sharing accounts, so factor that in before you choose. The Fortnite hub lists the store's other Fortnite sections.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most used emote in Fortnite?
Get Griddy, with more than 255.6 million uses according to the fortnite.gg count cited by the Fortnite Wiki. Popular Vibe is a close second at more than 251 million.
What is the rarest emote in Fortnite?
Dexerto's 2026 list ranks Fresh first. It was sold from December 2017 and has not been seen in the shop since November 21, 2018.
Will the Floss emote ever come back?
Nothing suggests it. Floss was a Season 2 Battle Pass reward, and Epic's policy on pass items returning only covers passes from Chapter 5 Season 4 onward.
How much do Icon Series emotes cost?
Most cost 500 V-Bucks when they are in the Item Shop, including Get Griddy and Popular Vibe, though a few, like The Squabble, sell for 300.
How do you get the Boogie Down emote?
Turn on two-factor authentication for your Epic account. Epic grants Boogie Down as the reward, and if it does not show up right away, Epic suggests restarting Fortnite.
How many emotes can you equip at once?
Up to six on your first emote wheel, chosen in the Locker. Emotes you mark as favorites fill the second wheel automatically.