The Aerial Tramway Emoji, One of the Least Used Emojis, Is Popping up Everywhere — Why?

The aerial tramway emoji is popping up everywhere as of late — in YouTube Shorts, in comments on posts, and across social media. And honestly, people are utterly confused by it, considering this emoji is rarely ever used. When was the last time you went on an aerial tramway or even wanted to, which would give you the perfect excuse to use this emoji? Exactly!

Alas, the internet, as it does best, has found a way to confuse people by changing the meaning of something random, which is exactly what’s going on with the aerial tramway emoji. So, if you’re seeing the aerial tramway emoji and want to know what it really means (because no, not everyone is actually riding on one when they post it), keep scrolling for all the deets.

The aerial tramway is being used on social media to replace the laughing emoji (yes, that includes the crying-laughing ones, too). That’s it. There’s no NSFW hidden meaning (like with the corn emoji) or people trying to be clever, it’s simply a swap for a commonly used emoji with one that rarely ever gets any love. And if we learned anything from the 2017 film The Emoji Movie, we all know what happens to unused emojis now, don’t we? They end up in the trash! (Kidding!).

But hey, why not give an underused emoji a little attention every now and then? It’s a fun way to shake up our texts, comments, and social media posts, plus, it adds a little confusion to the mix that leads to conversations like this one.

Now, you’re probably wondering who the genius is behind swapping the aerial tramway emoji in for the laughing emoji. Well, the credit might go to YouTuber John Casterline, who uploaded a video on May 14, 2025, suggesting the switch, and it racked up over 1.6 million views within just 20 hours of posting!

In his video, John explained that the aerial tramway emoji is the least-used emoji in the world, so he came up with a plan to change that, at least on YouTube.

Given how much traction John's video got, it’s no surprise the aerial tramway emoji is now floating all over the internet, especially in the comments of his post. Needless to say, mission accomplished.

Now that you know why you’re seeing the aerial tramway emoji everywhere, the whole swaparoo begs the question: Is the aerial tramway really the least used emoji?

The aerial tramway is considered one of the least used emojis, and has been since at least 2018, according to @bigmoodenergy’s X (formerly Twitter) post. But it’s not alone. A few other emojis rarely get that sought-after click, emojis are dying to receive.

Some of the other contenders believed to be on the least-used list (though current data is sparse, so there may be even more neglected ones) include the non-potable water emoji, various country flags, and, according to Mashable in 2019, the input symbol for Latin letters. You know, that blue square with the lowercase "abc" on it?

Maybe it’s time we take a page out of John’s playbook and find creative ways to get these little guys back on the leaderboard.