Side Eye Emoji for Slack: Built-in Picks and a Custom :side-eye:

Slack has no built-in side eye emoji; :side_eye: and :side-eye: both return invalid_name when you react with them (tested 6 October 2026). The closest emoji every workspace already has are 🙄 :face_with_rolling_eyes:, 😒 :unamused: and 🤨 :face_with_raised_eyebrow:. For the real meme, add a custom :side-eye: emoji from a photo or a GIF: crop it to the eyes, keep it under 128 KB, and upload it with Add Emoji.

Our free Slack emoji maker turns a photo, GIF or a word into an emoji file Slack accepts, with effects like party and intensifies.

Built-in Slack emoji that work as a side eye

We added every name below as a reaction to one message in our test workspace on 6 October 2026, after a first check on 28 September. All eight worked, so they are in every workspace without uploading anything. :side_eye:, :side-eye:, :slay: and :salute: returned invalid_name.

At work, 👀 usually means "I'm looking at this", not a side eye. What it means as a reaction is in what does the eyes emoji mean in Slack.

Meme emoji people add to Slack

• • Side eye. A photo of your cat, dog or yourself, cropped tight to the eyes. It reads better at 22 pixels than a full face.
• • Salute. 🫡 :saluting_face: is built in. Gamers use the text o7, which works as a text emoji.
• • Slay. A text emoji that says SLAY, with the party effect, or 💅 :nail_care: plus ✨ :sparkles:.
• • Same. A text emoji that says SAME, the quickest "me too" reaction.
• • Fan emoji such as Taylor Swift or Star Wars. Directory sites like slackmojis.com host fan-made versions. Upload only art you have the right to use; every custom emoji is visible to the whole workspace, and admins can remove it.

For more, see our Slack emoji ideas list and the ready-made sets in Slack emoji packs.

Make a custom side eye or slay emoji

This is the emoji maker with the word SLAY in the text tab. It draws the emoji at 128 by 128 pixels, shows it at 16, 22 and 32 pixels on light and dark themes, and checks the 128 KB limit before you download.

Open the Slack emoji maker.

For a side eye, pick Image to emoji, drop a photo, and zoom in on the eyes. Tick Remove background if the background is plain.

For slay, same or o7, pick Text to emoji, type the word and choose a font such as Impact.

Pick an effect if you want motion. Party cycles colors, Intensifies shakes.

Download the PNG or GIF. The tool suggests a name such as :slay:.

If you already have a side eye GIF that is too big, shrink it with the Slack emoji resizer. Transparent backgrounds look cleaner in dark mode; see how to make an emoji background transparent for Slack.

Add it to Slack

In any conversation, click the smiley face icon in the message field.

Click Add Emoji, then Upload Image, and pick your file.

Name it, for example side-eye, and click Save.

React with :side-eye: on any message.

Slack asks for a square JPG, PNG or GIF under 128 KB, and animated GIFs can have up to 50 frames. If Add Emoji is missing, your admin has limited who can add emoji; the full steps and fixes are in how to add custom emoji to Slack. If it uploads but does not show, see Slack custom emoji not showing.

FAQ

Is there a side eye emoji in Slack? No. The closest built-in ones are 🙄 :face_with_rolling_eyes: and 😒 :unamused:. For a real side eye, upload a custom emoji.

Does Slack have a salute emoji? Yes. 🫡 :saluting_face: is in the standard set.

What is the slay emoji in Slack? There is no built-in slay emoji. Use 💅 :nail_care: or make a SLAY text emoji.

Can I use Taylor Swift or Star Wars emoji in Slack? Only as custom emoji your workspace uploads. Use images you have the right to share, because everyone in the workspace can see them.