Last Updated on 05/19/2021 by Dean
What does the PogChamp emote mean on Twitch?
PogChamp is an emote that is used when something hype happens on Stream. The emote depicts a lizard with a wide-open mouth conveying the message that something hype or pog (in Twitch-speak) is happening.
Previously, the PogChamp emote featured Ryan Gutierrez’s face but this emote was banned and removed from Twitch in 2021.
Why was PogChamp Banned on Twitch?
The PogChamp emote, which was uploaded in 2012, featured the face of Street Fighter player Gootecks. The PogChamp emote is one of the most popular emotes in the Twitch community and thus Gootecks’ hype face was often spammed in chats.
In January of 2021, Twitch decided to remove the PogChamp emote when the face behind the emote, Gootecks, incited further violence after the events that happened in the Capitol on January 6th.
We’ve made the decision to remove the PogChamp emote following statements from the face of the emote encouraging further violence after what took place in the Capitol today.
— Twitch (@Twitch) January 7, 2021
Everyone who was spamming the PogChamp emote at this time noticed that the emote turned immediately to text.
Of course, while some supported the decision, it was also met with a lot of backlash from viewers. Some community members claimed this was classic censorship in action.
Gootecks being the face of PogChamp had been controversial for a while though, in 2020, Twitch users had already signed a petition to have Ryan Gutierrez’s face removed from Twitch for promoting far-right movements.
They claim he spread anti-vaccination conspiracies, spread misinformation, and denied the existence of Covid-19.
The events that happened in the Capitol, and Gooteck’s reaction to those events, was the final drop in the bucket for Twitch and led to the ultimate removal of the emote.
The new face of PogChamp
Immediately after removing the PogChamp emote, Twitch tweeted out that they wanted POG to remain part of the community. After all, Pog is so much more than just an emote.
We will work with the community to design a new emote for the most hype moments on Twitch.
— Twitch (@Twitch) January 7, 2021
So Twitch let the viewers decide what they wanted the next PogChamp to be.
On February 12, the new face of PogChamp, a lizard, was added to Twitch.
The community has spoken!
— Twitch (@Twitch) February 12, 2021
Let’s fire up the PogChamp Machine and activate the new face of Pog. pic.twitter.com/idQ2cNtMiH
PogChamp on BetterTwitchTV and FrankerFaceZ
Many people use browser extensions such as Better Twitch TV and FrankerFaceZ to extend the existing Twitch emote library.
When Twitch removed PogChamp from their emote library, users re-uploaded the infamous emote to these browser extensions.
The only caveat with BTTV and FrankerFaceZ emotes is that the streamer themselves have to allow these emotes on there channel, otherwise they cannot be used by viewers.
About 300 channels have the original PogChamp emote enabled on FrankerFaceZ.
190 channels have the emote enabled on BTTV.
So if you want to still use the original PogChamp emote on Twitch, you’ll have to use it on one of their channels. Or you know, you could just use the new PogChamp.
What is the origin of the PogChamp emote on Twitch?
PogChamp is a global emote that was added to Twitch in 2012. Back then, the emote featured Ryan Gutierrez’s hype face.
The emote was taken from a video featuring Ryan ‘Gootecks’ Gutierrez. The infamous ‘PogChamp’ face Gootecks makes in this video is a direct reaction to the cameraman tipping over his tripod.
Because the emote was so frequently used to hype up a stream, the word behind the emote, ‘Pogchamp’ became a big part of Twitch culture. Streamers small and big would often use the words ‘Pogchamp’ or ‘pog/poggers’ to hype something up.
The word became a part of Twitch slang. Chess.com even hosted a popular Twitch even called Pogchamps, named after the infamous emote.
From January 7th to February 12th, the PogChamp emote was removed from Twitch and later re-uploaded with a new face, that of a Lizard, following controversial tweets from the original face of the emote.
Variants of PogChamp
| Emote | How to use this | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Pog | FrankerFaceZ / BTTV | Pog is a close-up of the original PogChamp emote from Twitch. |
| PogU | FrankerFaceZ / BTTV | PogU features Ryan’s face from a different angle. The emote is taken from the same video. PogU is used when something exciting happens on stream. |
| PauseChamp | FrankerFacez / BTTV | |
| WeirdChamp | BTTV | WeirdChamp is used whenever you are in disbelief or are dissapointed. |
| PainsChamp | FrankerFaceZ / BTTV | PainsChamp is a close-up of Ryan Gutierrez’s face in a painful expression. This emote could be used to express pain but it’s mainly used in sarcastic manner. |
