MonkaS Meaning

MonkaS Meaning

MonkaS is a BTTV and a FrankerFaceZ emote that is often used in Twitch chat when the streamer is going through intense or stressful gameplay moments. It is often spammed to express anxiety when the streamer is upset or worried.

Released: 2016 (Popularized in February 2017 on Reddit)

What is the MonkaS Emote?

The MonkaS emote is essentially an image of the popular Pepe the Frog character sweating profusely. The frog meme looks like he is full of anxiety and confusion. Drops of sweat line his forehead and his brow looks slightly furrowed.

Due to the nervous, uncomfortable look on the face of this emote, many viewers will use it during a high-pressure situation on IRL streams or in anxiety-ridden esports moments where the streamer is struggling with a boss or another high tension moment in the game they’re playing.

What is the Pepe the Frog Meme?

While the frog emotes on Twitch are generally considered separate from the confusion and controversy surrounding the Pepe the Frog meme, it is important to understanding the overall meaning of the meme.

Pepe the Frog is a character that was drawn into the comic called Boy’s Club, created by Matt Furie. The character was created in the early 2000s and was one of four roommates who shared their lives together in the pages of the comic. At first, there were several memes using the image of Pepe the Frog, but they were all innocent enough.

In 2016, Pepe was adopted by the alt-right movement and white supremacists and was used in hate-related content. It is important to note that Furie was frustrated by variations of Pepe being used as a hate symbol and sued some of the organizations involved. In an interview with the Atlantic, he stated that he believed it was a phase and that it would eventually be used in other images and videos for other causes. In fact, the meme was used for another political high-pressure situation during the Hong Kong protests.

After years of watching his character being the origin of many memes or as a political icon on Twitter, Reddit, and any other social media site, Matt Furie is entering the crypto world of NFTs to sell images of the famous frog. In fact, an uploaded NFT picture of Pepe the Frog sold for about $1 million in early 2021.

How to Use the MonkaS Emote in Twitch Chat

While MonkaS is one of the most used Twitch emotes, it isn’t actually available on the platform itself. To use it, you will need to either install the FrankerFaceZ Twitch extension or the BTTV plugin.

Both of these programs are third-party extensions that allow Twitch streamers to upload personal emotes that are relatable to their communities. While these emotes typically stay within the audience of the streamer, a few of them spread and become viral across the Twitch platform or on other social sites (especially in esports circles), such as Twitter or Reddit.

To use the FrankerFaceZ Twitch extension, all you need to do is connect to the platform with your Twitch account and install the plugin. At that point, you can configure your account settings to determine which emotes can appear where on Twitch. You can also upload up to 25 of your own custom emotes (50 if you make a one-time donation of $5 USD).

You can also add MonkaS and other popular emotes on Twitch by using the BTTV extension. This plugin works in a similar way to the FrankerFaceZ Twitch extension. You can easily download and install the extension to your favorite browser, then sign in with your personal Twitch account. At that point, you can search for this popular emote and many variations to use in chats all over Twitch.

MonkaS Twitch Emote Origins

MonkaS is an emote that is part of the “Pepe emote” family, inspired by the Pepe the Frog character mentioned above. You can see and access it with the BTTV extension added to your Twitch account. MonkaS is also the most commonly used “Twitch lingo” that is used outside of Twitch.  

The emote’s origins have been traced to a 4chan thread in 2011. In 2016, someone uploaded it as an emote, but it wasn’t very popular until it was used on Forsen’s Reddit page in February 2017.  

MonkaS is used a lot due to its nature. People post it when someone is an anxious part of a game or is encountering some stress in real life. When streamers face difficult bosses in games or face a difficult opponent, the emote is generally used in their chat.

The Many Variations of MonkaS

The wonderful thing about memes is that once they get popular, they spread like wildfire. Multiple variations can pop up overnight, typically taking on a new popularity as each goes viral. The MonkaS emote is no different.

Here are some popular variations of the MonkaS meme:

Similar Twitch Emotes

Emotes in the Pepe family are very popular on Twitch and in other esports communities. While they don’t all share MonkaS’ meaning, you are likely to see some of these when hanging out on the platform:

Frequently Asked Questions

Want to learn more about this nervous emote covered in sweat? Beyond Monka’s meaning and its traced origins, here are some other commonly asked questions about how you can express these memes on Twitch.

Why is MonkaS Not a Twitch Emote?

The platform is very selective on what they make one of their popular emotes on Twitch. That being said, MonkaS has never been a Twitch emote and likely never will, possibly due to the other ways the Pepe meme has been used. The only way you can use MonkaS and its variation emotes on Twitch are through third-party extensions.

What is the Difference Between MonkaS and MonkaW?

MonkaW is simply a zoomed-in version of MonkaS. There are a few differences, as much of the emote’s image has been cropped. You can’t see that MonkaW is sweating, nor his blue shirt. The illustration is cropped right above his eyes and below his mouth, leaving some viewers to wonder what it means when it is posted on videos.

The picture of MonkaW shares in the MonkaS meaning and is used as an illustration of stress in tense esports moments.

Why Can’t You See MonkaS on Twitch?

Unless you have installed the FrankerFaceZ Twitch extension or the BTTV extension to your current browser, you will not be able to see MonkaS used in high-tension moments on Twitch. (That being said, you will still see the word “MonkaS” sent by chat users). Unfortunately, there is no way to currently use or see these emotes if you are using the Twitch mobile app.

How Did MonkaS Get its Name?

MonkaS is named for the Twitch user, Monkasen (who later went by MonkaSenpai) who is the person who uploaded the emote to the BTTV extension on March 16, 2016. The name of the emote is based on the name of the Twitch user Monkasen and the term “monkaScared” is typically associated with the meme.

Can I Upload MonkaS as a Personal Emote for My Twitch Channel?

You cannot use Monkas as a custom Twitch sub emote for your Twitch chat. It is a well-known and well-documented emote and its usage is limited to the extensions. Due to their rules for submitting Twitch emotes, you would not be able to upload the emote as your own.