Short for "emotion tags", emotags are fake HTML tags put in e-mail messages to make the writer's tone of voice clear.

One of the most significant inroads that WWW has made into the Internet culture is the HTML-ization of emotags. Recent email has gone beyond the initial smiles and limited quantities of emoticons. Email now uses HTML-style emoticons, for example, and . Luckily, this type of communication was found on a WWW mail alias where it was recognized for what it was. This type will evolve to the point that and will become as common as *flame on* and *flame off* warnings.