Fortnite emotes in your account exist as an expression of personality, celebration, and sometimes, pure disrespect! And, while some dances are extremely common (we're looking at you, Default Dance), others have gone to rare status, only seen in OG Fortnite accounts, demanding big bucks.
These rare emotes show other players you've been around the block, seen a season or two, or got incredibly lucky in the item shop in the past.
But which are the rarest? Which can add real monetary value to your Fortnite account? In this post, we’ll be taking a look.
Understanding Fortnite Emote Rarity
Before we list the rare emotes, it’s a good idea to understand what makes an emote truly rare. The answer? It usually boils down to a few main factors:
Battle Pass Exclusivity: Many early Chapter 1 Battle Passes included emotes that were never intended to return. Therefore, once that season ended, so did the chance to earn them.
Limited Item Shop Runs: Some emotes appear in the item shop for a day or two and then vanish, sometimes for years, or sometimes, even forever.
Event Tie-ins: Special events, such as the Fortnite World Cup or seasonal celebrations, like the Fortnitemare, often bring in unique emotes available only during that limited event time window.
Promotional Items: Sometimes, emotes are tied to specific bundles, like skin bundles or console bundles, or promotions outside of Fortnite itself.
The Vaulted: It’s rare, but it does happen. Sometimes, due to unforeseen circumstances such as licensing issues or legal disputes, Fortnite may remove an emote entirely. The Fresh emote is a great example, where it vanished due to a playsuit. The only solution? Buying a Fortnite account with it.
Top 20 Rarest Fortnite Emotes
This list showcases some of the hardest-to-find emotes ever in the game. While the order can be debated, as rarity is often subjective, these are consistently ranked as the most desired among collectors.
Pony Up: This one comes from a Chapter 1, Season 2 Battle Pass reward at Tier 20.
Floss: Perhaps the most famous rare emote, unlocked at Tier 49 in the same Season 2 Battle Pass.
The Worm: Another Season 2 Battle Pass classic at Tier 28. Simple, silly, and utterly unattainable unless you earned it way back then.
Ride the Pony: Originally a Season 2 Battle Pass reward at Tier 20, this one has a bit of a twist, since Epic gave a variation away for free to Save the World founders, diluting its OG status. That being said, the original BP version is scarce.
Fresh: This dance, based on Alfonso Ribeiro's famous Carlton Dance, was a popular item shop emote. However, after Ribeiro filed a lawsuit against Epic Games, the emote vanished from the shop in early 2019 and has never returned since.
Tidy: Similar to Fresh, this emote, based on Snoop Dogg's dance from Drop It Like It's Hot, also disappeared from the item shop around the same time, likely due to licensing concerns.
Rambunctious: Sharing the same fate as Fresh and Tidy, this emote, based on the Shoot dance, was pulled from rotation and hasn't been sighted since late 2018.
Widow's Pirouette: This emote wasn't in the Battle Pass or the regular item shop; instead, it was bundled with the Marvel Black Widow skin during a limited-time event in Chapter 2, Season 4.
Kiss the Cup / Raise the Cup: This celebratory emote was available shortly in the item shop during the 2019 Fortnite World Cup due to Bugha's win.
Bugha's Trophy Lift: Sold briefly in 2021 as part of Bugha’s Icon Series set, its limited run keeps it rare.
Zombie Shambles: Added during Fortnitemares 2022, this zombie walk emote hasn't shuffled back into the item shop since November 2022, making it a surprisingly rare emote.
Hot Marat: This bizarre but funny emote is a reference to the Wreck-It Ralph sequel. It appeared in the item shop for just two days in December 2018 and vanished shortly after.
Headbanger: Rock on! This emote lets players rock out to some metal, making it a favorite in the Fortnite emotes list. Despite being a regular item shop emote, it has notoriously long absence periods, sometimes disappearing for over a year.
Lazer Blast: The Major Lazer collaboration bundle, released in August 2019, included this emote, which was available alongside the skin and other cosmetics. Similar to many bundle items, it rarely returns, making it a collector's item.
Lazer Flex: The other emote from the Major Lazer set shares the same fate as Lazer Blast.
Go Mufasa: Inspired by a viral TikTok dance by Mufasa, this Icon Series emote was added to the item shop in 2020, and hasn’t boogied back into the shop since late 2021.
Freezing Burst: An Uncommon green emote for just 200 V-Bucks, initially impossible to become one of Fortnite's rarest. However, it last appeared in the item shop in January 2022, meaning fewer players were able to obtain it, given the price.
Bop: This simple, head-bopping emote was inspired by a dance choreographed by Kyle Hanagami for the musical Bop on Broadway. The emote only appeared in the item shop twice in early 2020 for 500 V-Bucks and hasn't been seen since, possibly due to rights complexities.
Welcome!: A promotional emote tied to the Chapter 2 Season 1 trailer reveal that could be claimed via a Twitch drop for a limited time.
Introducing…: Another blink-and-you-miss-it emote, this one was available for only one day in the item shop back in Chapter 2, Season 2 for 100 V-Bucks.
The TikTok Effect and Icon Series Emotes
Isn’t it interesting how trends, and even emote availability, influence the selection of the top rarest emotes in Fortnite?
While some Icon Series emotes, often based on popular dances from TikTok, like Go Mufasasa, start common, their rarity can increase massively if they aren't brought back into the item shop regularly.
Because of this, owning an Icon Series emote that hasn't been seen in years adds a layer of rarity to your account, and sometimes, even boosts the value of a Fortnite account!
