The Brief: A combination of the sad face and oncoming fist emoji, 😔 👊, represents someone who is sad, but trying to stay cool.

Bluesquiggle
DEEP DIVE

😔 👊, a combination of the pensive/sad face and oncoming fist (aka fist bump) emoji, represents mixed feelings of sadness and resilliance online. This set of emoji can have different connotations depending on usage, but it’s commonly used online to represent someone who is sad, but who has enough energy to give a fist bump. They can also be a display of solidarity between people who are sad or depressed. In some instances, the fist represents a punch. The emoji combo may connote more of general a feeling than a specific message, much like “yeet” or “it really do be like that sometimes.” 😔 👊 can be found on Twitter, TikTok, Reddit, and beyond, where it’s particularly popular among Gen Zers.

Examples: 

https://twitter.com/birdoqueen/status/1306371182887940096