WordPress homepages loading wp-emoji-release.min.js (Sept 2026, top 1M)
| Group | Load emoji script | Homepages |
|---|---|---|
| Top 10K | 24.2% | 759 |
| Top 100K | 31.8% | 8,138 |
| Rest of top 1M | 36.7% | 114,603 |
| With WooCommerce | 36.0% | 21,924 |
| Without WooCommerce | 36.3% | 101,576 |
| All WordPress | 36.3% | 123,500 |
Source: PageSpeed Matters, Sept 2026. WordPress means homepages requesting any /wp-content/ or /wp-includes/ file.
Summary
WordPress adds a small emoji script, wp-emoji-release.min.js, to every page by default. It exists so emoji display in browsers that cannot draw them natively. Almost every browser in use today can, so for most sites the script is one more request that does nothing visible.
We checked how many WordPress homepages in the top 1M still load it. The answer is 36.3%, or 44,785 of 123,500 homepages. Big sites are far less likely to carry it, WooCommerce makes no difference, and homepages that load it pass Core Web Vitals slightly less often.
What we measured
We looked at the HTTP Archive crawl from September 2026, mobile, which covers the top 1M sites by Chrome traffic, and at every file each homepage requested.
A homepage counts as WordPress here when it requests any file from /wp-content/ or /wp-includes/. That gives 123,500 WordPress homepages. A homepage counts as loading the emoji script when one of its requests is for wp-emoji-release.min.js.
The definition matters. If WordPress is instead identified from the crawl's own platform labels, the rate is 39.0% (44,400 of 113,804). We report the request-based figure throughout so every breakdown uses the same base.
Two limits apply. Some sites still need the script because their audience includes older browsers, so not every load is a mistake. And the Core Web Vitals comparison below is a correlation only: it does not show that the script itself slows a page down.
More than a third of WordPress homepages still load it
Of 123,500 WordPress homepages in the top 1M, 44,785 still load wp-emoji-release.min.js. That is 36.3%, a little more than one in three.
The script is small, but it is part of a pattern. It runs on every page, it adds a request and some inline code to the head, and on most sites it never shows anything. Turning it off is a common tidy-up step in WordPress speed work, which likely explains why nearly two in three WordPress homepages do not load it. The sites that still do are usually sites where nobody has made that change.
36.3%
Share of top 1M WordPress homepages (44,785 of 123,500) that still load wp-emoji-release.min.js.
Big sites are much less likely to load it
Popularity makes a clear difference. Only 24.2% of 759 WordPress homepages in the Top 10K load the emoji script. That rises to 31.8% of 8,138 homepages in the Top 100K and 36.7% of 114,603 homepages in the rest of the top 1M.
The likely reason is maintenance. Larger sites usually have developers or agencies who strip out default WordPress features they do not use, and the emoji script is one of the first to go. Smaller sites are more likely to run a theme and plugins close to their defaults.
WooCommerce makes no difference
Stores are no better or worse than other WordPress sites. 36.0% of 21,924 WordPress homepages running WooCommerce load the emoji script, against 36.3% of 101,576 WordPress homepages without it.
That fits how the script gets there. It comes from WordPress core, not from a plugin, so adding WooCommerce neither adds it nor removes it. Whether it stays depends on whether someone switched it off.
Sites that load it pass Core Web Vitals slightly less often
WordPress homepages that load the emoji script pass Core Web Vitals a little less often. 46.7% of the 39,442 such homepages with Chrome UX Report data pass, against 49.4% of the 68,380 that do not load it.
This is a small gap and it should not be read as cause and effect. The emoji script on its own is unlikely to decide whether a page passes. A more likely reading is that it acts as a marker: sites that still load it tend to be sites where fewer default features have been trimmed, and those sites may carry other extra weight too.
What this means for your site
Check whether your site loads the script. Open your homepage, view the page source or the network panel in your browser's developer tools, and search for wp-emoji-release.min.js.
If it is there and your visitors use current browsers, you can usually remove it:
- Many performance and cleanup plugins have a single setting to disable emojis.
- A developer can remove the emoji actions in your theme's functions file or a small site plugin.
- After the change, check a page that uses emoji to confirm they still display as expected.
Treat this as part of a wider cleanup rather than a fix on its own. If your homepage loads the emoji script, it is worth looking at what else WordPress, your theme and your plugins add to every page, and then testing the result in PageSpeed Insights.
Sources
- HTTP Archive crawl of the top 1M sites by Chrome traffic, September 2026, mobile
- Chrome UX Report (CrUX) field data, September 2026
- Chrome UX Report documentation: https://developer.chrome.com/docs/crux
Embed this research
Paste this on your site to embed the chart. It links back to the source automatically.
<iframe id="psm-wordpress-emoji-script-usage" src="https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/embed/data-studies/wordpress-emoji-script-usage" width="100%" height="600" style="width:100%;border:1px solid #E2E3E1;border-radius:12px" loading="lazy" title="WordPress Emoji Script Usage: 36.3% Still Load It - PageSpeed Matters"></iframe>
<script>window.addEventListener("message",function(e){if(e&&e.data&&e.data.psmEmbed==="wordpress-emoji-script-usage"&&e.data.height){var f=document.getElementById("psm-wordpress-emoji-script-usage");if(f){f.style.height=e.data.height+"px";}}});</script>
<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif">Source: <a href="https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/wordpress-emoji-script-usage">WordPress Emoji Script Usage: 36.3% Still Load It - PageSpeed Matters</a></p>
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of WordPress sites load the emoji script?
36.3% of top 1M WordPress homepages (44,785 of 123,500) load wp-emoji-release.min.js. Identifying WordPress from the crawl's own platform labels instead, the figure is 39.0%.
Do big WordPress sites still load wp-emoji-release.min.js?
Far less often. 24.2% of Top 10K WordPress homepages load it, against 31.8% in the Top 100K and 36.7% in the rest of the top 1M.
Does the WordPress emoji script hurt Core Web Vitals?
Homepages that load it pass Core Web Vitals slightly less often, 46.7% against 49.4% for those that don't. That is a correlation, not proof that the script causes the gap.
How do I check if my site loads the emoji script?
Open your homepage source or your browser's network panel and search for wp-emoji-release.min.js. If it appears, a cleanup plugin setting or a small code change can usually remove it.
Removing default scripts your visitors never use is a quick, low-risk part of keeping a WordPress site lean. Need help with this? See our WordPress support services.