diff --git a/kez-chat/web/package-lock.json b/kez-chat/web/package-lock.json
index 94cf436..3293800 100644
--- a/kez-chat/web/package-lock.json
+++ b/kez-chat/web/package-lock.json
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
         "@noble/hashes": "^1.5.0",
         "@scure/base": "^1.1.9",
         "canonicalize": "^2.0.0",
+        "emoji-picker-element": "^1.29.1",
         "idb-keyval": "^6.2.1",
         "nostr-tools": "^2.23.5",
         "svelte-spa-router": "^4.0.1"
@@ -4319,6 +4320,12 @@
       "dev": true,
       "license": "ISC"
     },
+    "node_modules/emoji-picker-element": {
+      "version": "1.29.1",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/emoji-picker-element/-/emoji-picker-element-1.29.1.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-TOiHzu9Dqib3x4MwcAi3wi3RdyT4SoeB4b15AvH1ks4SBwTl7DeebhZ0d3x6dNi4XfNU7IGRZ7NBQllj0RqwrQ==",
+      "license": "Apache-2.0"
+    },
     "node_modules/enhanced-resolve": {
       "version": "5.22.0",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/enhanced-resolve/-/enhanced-resolve-5.22.0.tgz",
diff --git a/kez-chat/web/package.json b/kez-chat/web/package.json
index 72cf5c8..0196881 100644
--- a/kez-chat/web/package.json
+++ b/kez-chat/web/package.json
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
     "@noble/hashes": "^1.5.0",
     "@scure/base": "^1.1.9",
     "canonicalize": "^2.0.0",
+    "emoji-picker-element": "^1.29.1",
     "idb-keyval": "^6.2.1",
     "nostr-tools": "^2.23.5",
     "svelte-spa-router": "^4.0.1"
diff --git a/kez-chat/web/src/lib/EmojiButton.svelte b/kez-chat/web/src/lib/EmojiButton.svelte
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f47257d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/kez-chat/web/src/lib/EmojiButton.svelte
@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+<script lang="ts">
+  // Emoji picker button — toggles a popover with the full Unicode set
+  // (search, skin tone, category nav) via emoji-picker-element. The
+  // picker is ~140 KB so we dynamic-import on first click; subsequent
+  // clicks are instant (module cached).
+
+  import { onDestroy } from "svelte";
+
+  interface Props {
+    /** Called with the picked emoji's character. */
+    onpick: (emoji: string) => void;
+  }
+  let { onpick }: Props = $props();
+
+  let open = $state(false);
+  let mountEl: HTMLDivElement | null = $state(null);
+  let pickerEl: HTMLElement | null = null;
+  let loading = $state(false);
+  let loadError = $state<string | null>(null);
+
+  async function togglePicker() {
+    if (open) {
+      close();
+      return;
+    }
+    open = true;
+    if (!pickerEl) {
+      loading = true;
+      try {
+        // Side-effect import — registers <emoji-picker> as a custom element.
+        await import("emoji-picker-element");
+        pickerEl = document.createElement("emoji-picker") as HTMLElement;
+        pickerEl.addEventListener("emoji-click", onEmojiClick as EventListener);
+        // Match the dark-on-light scheme of the rest of the app.
+        pickerEl.classList.add("light");
+        if (mountEl) mountEl.appendChild(pickerEl);
+      } catch (e) {
+        loadError = (e as Error).message;
+      } finally {
+        loading = false;
+      }
+    } else if (mountEl && !mountEl.contains(pickerEl)) {
+      mountEl.appendChild(pickerEl);
+    }
+    document.addEventListener("click", onDocumentClick);
+  }
+
+  function close() {
+    open = false;
+    document.removeEventListener("click", onDocumentClick);
+  }
+
+  function onEmojiClick(ev: Event) {
+    const e = ev as CustomEvent<{ unicode: string }>;
+    onpick(e.detail.unicode);
+    close();
+  }
+
+  function onDocumentClick(ev: MouseEvent) {
+    // Close when the user clicks anywhere outside the popover or trigger.
+    if (mountEl && !mountEl.contains(ev.target as Node)) close();
+  }
+
+  onDestroy(() => {
+    pickerEl?.removeEventListener("emoji-click", onEmojiClick as EventListener);
+    document.removeEventListener("click", onDocumentClick);
+  });
+</script>
+
+<div class="relative" bind:this={mountEl}>
+  <button
+    type="button"
+    class="px-2 py-2 text-xl border border-gray-300 rounded hover:bg-gray-50 leading-none"
+    title="Insert emoji"
+    onclick={(e) => {
+      e.stopPropagation();
+      togglePicker();
+    }}
+  >
+    😀
+  </button>
+
+  {#if open}
+    <div
+      class="absolute bottom-full right-0 mb-2 z-50 shadow-lg rounded overflow-hidden bg-white"
+    >
+      {#if loading}
+        <div class="p-4 text-xs text-gray-500">Loading…</div>
+      {:else if loadError}
+        <div class="p-4 text-xs text-red-700">Failed: {loadError}</div>
+      {/if}
+      <!-- The actual <emoji-picker> custom element is appended here
+           imperatively by togglePicker() so we can control its lifecycle. -->
+    </div>
+  {/if}
+</div>
+
+<style>
+  /* emoji-picker-element renders inside shadow DOM; only its outer size
+     is themeable here. Width comes from the component itself (~340px). */
+  :global(emoji-picker) {
+    height: 360px;
+    --background: #fff;
+    --border-color: #e5e7eb;
+  }
+</style>
diff --git a/kez-chat/web/src/routes/Messages.svelte b/kez-chat/web/src/routes/Messages.svelte
index cb55b22..837c58b 100644
--- a/kez-chat/web/src/routes/Messages.svelte
+++ b/kez-chat/web/src/routes/Messages.svelte
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
     type StreamHandle,
   } from "../lib/messages.js";
   import { lookup, lookupByPrimary, ApiError } from "../lib/api.js";
+  import EmojiButton from "../lib/EmojiButton.svelte";
   import {
     appendInbound,
     appendOutbound,
@@ -31,6 +32,57 @@
   );
   let composeText = $state("");
   let composing = $state(false);
+  let composeEl: HTMLInputElement | null = $state(null);
+
+  /**
+   * Insert an emoji at the current cursor position in the compose input
+   * (or append if the input isn't focused). Keeps the cursor right after
+   * the inserted character so you can keep typing.
+   */
+  function insertEmoji(emoji: string) {
+    if (!composeEl) {
+      composeText += emoji;
+      return;
+    }
+    const start = composeEl.selectionStart ?? composeText.length;
+    const end = composeEl.selectionEnd ?? composeText.length;
+    composeText = composeText.slice(0, start) + emoji + composeText.slice(end);
+    // Restore focus + position the caret after the inserted emoji
+    // (need a tick for the value to flush through the binding).
+    queueMicrotask(() => {
+      if (!composeEl) return;
+      composeEl.focus();
+      const pos = start + emoji.length;
+      composeEl.setSelectionRange(pos, pos);
+    });
+  }
+
+  // Lazy grapheme segmenter — reused across messages.
+  const graphemeSeg =
+    typeof Intl !== "undefined" && "Segmenter" in Intl
+      ? new Intl.Segmenter(undefined, { granularity: "grapheme" })
+      : null;
+
+  /**
+   * iMessage-style: if the whole message is just a handful of emoji and
+   * nothing else, drop the bubble chrome and render it big. We count
+   * grapheme clusters (so "👨‍👩‍👧" reads as 1, not 5 code points).
+   *
+   * "Emoji-only" = the string contains no letters, digits, whitespace,
+   * or punctuation. That leaves Symbol_Other + emoji bits.
+   */
+  function emojiOnlyBoost(body: string): "lg" | "xl" | "2xl" | null {
+    const trimmed = body.trim();
+    if (!trimmed) return null;
+    if (/[\p{L}\p{N}\p{P}\p{Zs}]/u.test(trimmed)) return null;
+    const count = graphemeSeg
+      ? [...graphemeSeg.segment(trimmed)].length
+      : [...trimmed].length;
+    if (count === 1) return "2xl";
+    if (count <= 3) return "xl";
+    if (count <= 6) return "lg";
+    return null;
+  }
   let pollError = $state<string | null>(null);
   let lastPolledAt = $state<string | null>(null);
   let pollTimer: ReturnType<typeof setInterval> | null = null;
@@ -378,12 +430,22 @@
 
       <div class="flex-1 overflow-y-auto p-4 space-y-2">
         {#each activeConv.messages as m (m.seq + ":" + m.direction)}
+          {@const boost = emojiOnlyBoost(m.body)}
           <div class={`max-w-md ${m.direction === "out" ? "ml-auto" : ""}`}>
-            <div
-              class={`px-3 py-2 rounded-lg text-sm whitespace-pre-wrap break-words ${m.direction === "out" ? "bg-gray-900 text-white" : "bg-gray-100 text-gray-900"}`}
-            >
-              {m.body}
-            </div>
+            {#if boost}
+              <!-- Emoji-only message: drop the bubble chrome, render big. -->
+              <div
+                class={`whitespace-pre-wrap break-words leading-none ${boost === "2xl" ? "text-5xl" : boost === "xl" ? "text-4xl" : "text-3xl"} ${m.direction === "out" ? "text-right" : ""}`}
+              >
+                {m.body}
+              </div>
+            {:else}
+              <div
+                class={`px-3 py-2 rounded-lg text-sm whitespace-pre-wrap break-words ${m.direction === "out" ? "bg-gray-900 text-white" : "bg-gray-100 text-gray-900"}`}
+              >
+                {m.body}
+              </div>
+            {/if}
             <p class={`mt-1 text-xs text-gray-400 ${m.direction === "out" ? "text-right" : ""}`}>
               {formatTime(m.ts)}
             </p>
@@ -398,15 +460,17 @@
       </div>
 
       <form
-        class="p-3 border-t border-gray-200 flex gap-2"
+        class="p-3 border-t border-gray-200 flex gap-2 items-center"
         onsubmit={(e) => {
           e.preventDefault();
           send();
         }}
       >
+        <EmojiButton onpick={insertEmoji} />
         <input
           type="text"
           bind:value={composeText}
+          bind:this={composeEl}
           placeholder="Type a message…"
           class="flex-1 min-w-0 px-3 py-2 text-sm border border-gray-300 rounded"
           autocomplete="off"