diff --git a/webapp/channels/src/components/post_emoji/post_emoji.test.tsx b/webapp/channels/src/components/post_emoji/post_emoji.test.tsx
index a8a4b24b60..a0f0da9d26 100644
--- a/webapp/channels/src/components/post_emoji/post_emoji.test.tsx
+++ b/webapp/channels/src/components/post_emoji/post_emoji.test.tsx
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import PostEmoji from './post_emoji';
 
 describe('PostEmoji', () => {
     const baseProps = {
+        children: ':emoji:',
         imageUrl: '/api/v4/emoji/1234/image',
         name: 'emoji',
     };
@@ -26,7 +27,7 @@ describe('PostEmoji', () => {
         expect(screen.queryByTestId('postEmoji.:' + baseProps.name + ':')).toHaveTextContent(`:${baseProps.name}:`);
     });
 
-    test('should render original text when imageUrl is empty', () => {
+    test('should render children as fallback when imageUrl is empty', () => {
         const props = {
             ...baseProps,
             imageUrl: '',
diff --git a/webapp/channels/src/components/post_emoji/post_emoji.tsx b/webapp/channels/src/components/post_emoji/post_emoji.tsx
index e32adec457..8cafdcbb1e 100644
--- a/webapp/channels/src/components/post_emoji/post_emoji.tsx
+++ b/webapp/channels/src/components/post_emoji/post_emoji.tsx
@@ -5,7 +5,8 @@ import React from 'react';
 
 import WithTooltip from 'components/with_tooltip';
 
-interface Props {
+export interface Props {
+    children: React.ReactNode;
     name: string;
     imageUrl: string;
 }
@@ -15,12 +16,12 @@ declare module 'react' {
     }
 }
 
-const PostEmoji = ({name, imageUrl}: Props) => {
+const PostEmoji = ({children, name, imageUrl}: Props) => {
     const emojiText = `:${name}:`;
     const backgroundImageUrl = `url(${imageUrl})`;
 
     if (!imageUrl) {
-        return <>{emojiText}</>;
+        return <>{children}</>;
     }
 
     return (
@@ -37,7 +38,7 @@ const PostEmoji = ({name, imageUrl}: Props) => {
                 data-testid={`postEmoji.${emojiText}`}
                 style={{backgroundImage: backgroundImageUrl}}
             >
-                {emojiText}
+                {children}
             </span>
         </WithTooltip>
     );
diff --git a/webapp/channels/src/utils/emoticons.tsx b/webapp/channels/src/utils/emoticons.tsx
index 46280cd7e8..92fe50e14e 100644
--- a/webapp/channels/src/utils/emoticons.tsx
+++ b/webapp/channels/src/utils/emoticons.tsx
@@ -90,5 +90,5 @@ export function handleEmoticons(
 }
 
 export function renderEmoji(name: string, matchText: string): string {
-    return `<span data-emoticon="${name.toLowerCase()}">${matchText.toLowerCase()}</span>`;
+    return `<span data-emoticon="${name.toLowerCase()}">${matchText}</span>`;
 }
diff --git a/webapp/channels/src/utils/message_html_to_component.test.tsx b/webapp/channels/src/utils/message_html_to_component.test.tsx
index 1bfccf5fd1..7a093d8cbb 100644
--- a/webapp/channels/src/utils/message_html_to_component.test.tsx
+++ b/webapp/channels/src/utils/message_html_to_component.test.tsx
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import {shallow} from 'enzyme';
 import AtMention from 'components/at_mention';
 import MarkdownImage from 'components/markdown_image';
 
+import {renderWithContext, screen} from 'tests/react_testing_utils';
 import Constants from 'utils/constants';
 import EmojiMap from 'utils/emoji_map';
 import messageHtmlToComponent from 'utils/message_html_to_component';
@@ -146,4 +147,43 @@ const myFunction = () => {
 
         expect(messageHtmlToComponent(html)).toMatchSnapshot();
     });
+
+    describe('emojis', () => {
+        test('should render valid named emojis as spans with background images', () => {
+            const input = 'These are emojis: :taco: :astronaut:';
+
+            const {container} = renderWithContext(messageHtmlToComponent(TextFormatting.formatText(input, {}, emptyEmojiMap)));
+
+            expect(screen.getByTestId('postEmoji.:taco:')).toBeInTheDocument();
+            expect(screen.getByTestId('postEmoji.:taco:').getAttribute('style')).toContain('background-image');
+            expect(screen.getByTestId('postEmoji.:astronaut:')).toBeInTheDocument();
+            expect(screen.getByTestId('postEmoji.:astronaut:').getAttribute('style')).toContain('background-image');
+
+            expect(container).toHaveTextContent('These are emojis: :taco: :astronaut:');
+        });
+
+        test('should render invalid named emojis as spans with background images', () => {
+            const input = 'These are emojis: :fake: :notAnEmoji:';
+
+            const {container} = renderWithContext(messageHtmlToComponent(TextFormatting.formatText(input, {}, emptyEmojiMap)));
+
+            expect(screen.queryByTestId('postEmoji.:taco:')).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+            expect(screen.queryByTestId('postEmoji.:astronaut:')).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+
+            expect(container).toHaveTextContent('These are emojis: :fake: :notAnEmoji:');
+        });
+
+        test('should render supported unicode emojis as spans with background images', () => {
+            const input = 'These are emojis: 🌮 🧑‍🚀';
+
+            const {container} = renderWithContext(messageHtmlToComponent(TextFormatting.formatText(input, {}, emptyEmojiMap)));
+
+            expect(screen.getByTestId('postEmoji.:taco:')).toBeInTheDocument();
+            expect(screen.getByTestId('postEmoji.:taco:').getAttribute('style')).toContain('background-image');
+            expect(screen.getByTestId('postEmoji.:astronaut:')).toBeInTheDocument();
+            expect(screen.getByTestId('postEmoji.:astronaut:').getAttribute('style')).toContain('background-image');
+
+            expect(container).toHaveTextContent('These are emojis: 🌮 🧑‍🚀');
+        });
+    });
 });
diff --git a/webapp/channels/src/utils/message_html_to_component.tsx b/webapp/channels/src/utils/message_html_to_component.tsx
index bc3b557661..6c74b5e089 100644
--- a/webapp/channels/src/utils/message_html_to_component.tsx
+++ b/webapp/channels/src/utils/message_html_to_component.tsx
@@ -181,10 +181,10 @@ export function messageHtmlToComponent(html: string, options: Options = {}) {
         processingInstructions.push({
             replaceChildren: true,
             shouldProcessNode: (node: any) => node.attribs && node.attribs[emojiAttrib],
-            processNode: (node: any) => {
+            processNode: (node: any, children: any) => {
                 const emojiName = node.attribs[emojiAttrib];
 
-                return <PostEmoji name={emojiName}/>;
+                return <PostEmoji name={emojiName}>{children}</PostEmoji>;
             },
         });
     }