diff --git a/src/components/ui/emoji-selector.tsx b/src/components/ui/emoji-selector.tsx
index 77d0cea4c..32303800f 100644
--- a/src/components/ui/emoji-selector.tsx
+++ b/src/components/ui/emoji-selector.tsx
@@ -3,13 +3,16 @@ import dotsIcon from '@tabler/icons/outline/dots.svg';
 import clsx from 'clsx';
 import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
 
+import { closeModal, openModal } from 'soapbox/actions/modals.ts';
 import EmojiComponent from 'soapbox/components/ui/emoji.tsx';
 import HStack from 'soapbox/components/ui/hstack.tsx';
 import IconButton from 'soapbox/components/ui/icon-button.tsx';
 import EmojiPickerDropdown from 'soapbox/features/emoji/components/emoji-picker-dropdown.tsx';
+import { useAppDispatch } from 'soapbox/hooks/useAppDispatch.ts';
 import { useClickOutside } from 'soapbox/hooks/useClickOutside.ts';
 import { useFeatures } from 'soapbox/hooks/useFeatures.ts';
 import { useSoapboxConfig } from 'soapbox/hooks/useSoapboxConfig.ts';
+import { userTouching } from 'soapbox/is-mobile.ts';
 
 import type { Emoji } from 'soapbox/features/emoji/index.ts';
 
@@ -67,6 +70,7 @@ const EmojiSelector: React.FC<IEmojiSelector> = ({
   const soapboxConfig = useSoapboxConfig();
   const { customEmojiReacts } = useFeatures();
 
+  const dispatch = useAppDispatch();
   const [expanded, setExpanded] = useState(false);
 
   const { x, y, strategy, refs, update } = useFloating<HTMLElement>({
@@ -75,7 +79,18 @@ const EmojiSelector: React.FC<IEmojiSelector> = ({
   });
 
   const handleExpand: React.MouseEventHandler = () => {
-    setExpanded(true);
+    if (userTouching.matches) {
+      dispatch(openModal('EMOJI_PICKER', {
+        onPickEmoji: (emoji: Emoji) => {
+          handlePickEmoji(emoji);
+          dispatch(closeModal('EMOJI_PICKER'));
+        },
+      }));
+
+      onClose?.();
+    } else {
+      setExpanded(true);
+    }
   };
 
   const handlePickEmoji = (emoji: Emoji) => {
@@ -95,9 +110,7 @@ const EmojiSelector: React.FC<IEmojiSelector> = ({
   }, [visible]);
 
   useClickOutside(refs, () => {
-    if (onClose) {
-      onClose();
-    }
+    onClose?.();
   });
 
   return (
diff --git a/src/components/ui/modal.tsx b/src/components/ui/modal.tsx
index 595787da6..a7db84f99 100644
--- a/src/components/ui/modal.tsx
+++ b/src/components/ui/modal.tsx
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ const messages = defineMessages({
 });
 
 const themes = {
-  normal: 'bg-white p-6 shadow-xl',
+  normal: 'bg-white black:bg-black dark:bg-primary-900 p-6 shadow-xl text-gray-900 dark:text-gray-100',
   transparent: 'bg-transparent p-0 shadow-none',
 };
 
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ const Modal = forwardRef<HTMLDivElement, IModal>(({
     <div
       ref={ref}
       data-testid='modal'
-      className={clsx(className, 'pointer-events-auto mx-auto block w-full rounded-2xl text-start align-middle text-gray-900 transition-all black:bg-black dark:bg-primary-900 dark:text-gray-100', widths[width], themes[theme])}
+      className={clsx(className, 'pointer-events-auto mx-auto block w-full rounded-2xl text-start align-middle transition-all', widths[width], themes[theme])}
     >
       <div className='w-full justify-between sm:flex sm:items-start'>
         <div className='w-full'>
diff --git a/src/features/emoji/components/emoji-picker-dropdown.tsx b/src/features/emoji/components/emoji-picker-dropdown.tsx
index ae5231fb5..df456925a 100644
--- a/src/features/emoji/components/emoji-picker-dropdown.tsx
+++ b/src/features/emoji/components/emoji-picker-dropdown.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { Map as ImmutableMap } from 'immutable';
-import { useEffect, useState, useLayoutEffect, Suspense } from 'react';
+import React, { useEffect, useState, useLayoutEffect, Suspense } from 'react';
 import { defineMessages, useIntl } from 'react-intl';
 import { createSelector } from 'reselect';
 
@@ -45,9 +45,9 @@ export interface IEmojiPickerDropdown {
   onPickEmoji?: (emoji: Emoji) => void;
   condensed?: boolean;
   withCustom?: boolean;
-  visible: boolean;
-  setVisible: (value: boolean) => void;
-  update: (() => any) | null;
+  visible?: boolean;
+  setVisible?: (value: boolean) => void;
+  update?: (() => any) | null;
 }
 
 const perLine = 8;
@@ -105,8 +105,13 @@ const getCustomEmojis = createSelector([
   }
 }));
 
+interface IRenderAfter {
+  children: React.ReactNode;
+  update: () => void;
+}
+
 // Fixes render bug where popover has a delayed position update
-const RenderAfter = ({ children, update }: any) => {
+const RenderAfter: React.FC<IRenderAfter> = ({ children, update }) => {
   const [nextTick, setNextTick] = useState(false);
 
   useEffect(() => {
@@ -125,7 +130,7 @@ const RenderAfter = ({ children, update }: any) => {
 };
 
 const EmojiPickerDropdown: React.FC<IEmojiPickerDropdown> = ({
-  onPickEmoji, visible, setVisible, update, withCustom = true,
+  onPickEmoji, visible = true, setVisible, update, withCustom = true,
 }) => {
   const intl = useIntl();
   const dispatch = useAppDispatch();
@@ -136,7 +141,7 @@ const EmojiPickerDropdown: React.FC<IEmojiPickerDropdown> = ({
   const frequentlyUsedEmojis = useAppSelector((state) => getFrequentlyUsedEmojis(state));
 
   const handlePick = (emoji: any) => {
-    setVisible(false);
+    setVisible?.(false);
 
     let pickedEmoji: Emoji;
 
@@ -213,28 +218,30 @@ const EmojiPickerDropdown: React.FC<IEmojiPickerDropdown> = ({
     document.body.style.overflow = '';
   }, []);
 
+  if (!visible) {
+    return null;
+  }
+
   return (
-    visible ? (
-      <Suspense>
-        <RenderAfter update={update}>
-          <EmojiPicker
-            custom={withCustom ? [{ emojis: buildCustomEmojis(customEmojis) }] : undefined}
-            title={title}
-            onEmojiSelect={handlePick}
-            recent={frequentlyUsedEmojis}
-            perLine={8}
-            skin={handleSkinTone}
-            emojiSize={22}
-            emojiButtonSize={34}
-            set='twitter'
-            theme={theme}
-            i18n={getI18n()}
-            skinTonePosition='search'
-            previewPosition='none'
-          />
-        </RenderAfter>
-      </Suspense>
-    ) : null
+    <Suspense>
+      <RenderAfter update={update ?? (() => {})}>
+        <EmojiPicker
+          custom={withCustom ? [{ emojis: buildCustomEmojis(customEmojis) }] : undefined}
+          title={title}
+          onEmojiSelect={handlePick}
+          recent={frequentlyUsedEmojis}
+          perLine={8}
+          skin={handleSkinTone}
+          emojiSize={22}
+          emojiButtonSize={34}
+          set='twitter'
+          theme={theme}
+          i18n={getI18n()}
+          skinTonePosition='search'
+          previewPosition='none'
+        />
+      </RenderAfter>
+    </Suspense>
   );
 };
 
diff --git a/src/features/emoji/components/emoji-picker.tsx b/src/features/emoji/components/emoji-picker.tsx
index 927f010ba..a6dc860ff 100644
--- a/src/features/emoji/components/emoji-picker.tsx
+++ b/src/features/emoji/components/emoji-picker.tsx
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ const Picker: React.FC<any> = (props) => {
     new EmojiPicker(input);
   }, []);
 
-  return <div ref={ref} />;
+  return <div className='flex justify-center' ref={ref} />;
 };
 
 export default Picker;
diff --git a/src/features/ui/components/modal-root.tsx b/src/features/ui/components/modal-root.tsx
index 5eff12842..024b71d8b 100644
--- a/src/features/ui/components/modal-root.tsx
+++ b/src/features/ui/components/modal-root.tsx
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import {
   EditDomainModal,
   EditFederationModal,
   EmbedModal,
+  EmojiPickerModal,
   EventMapModal,
   EventParticipantsModal,
   FamiliarFollowersModal,
@@ -72,6 +73,7 @@ const MODAL_COMPONENTS: Record<string, React.ExoticComponent<any>> = {
   'EDIT_FEDERATION': EditFederationModal,
   'EDIT_RULE': EditRuleModal,
   'EMBED': EmbedModal,
+  'EMOJI_PICKER': EmojiPickerModal,
   'EVENT_MAP': EventMapModal,
   'EVENT_PARTICIPANTS': EventParticipantsModal,
   'FAMILIAR_FOLLOWERS': FamiliarFollowersModal,
diff --git a/src/features/ui/components/modals/emoji-picker-modal.tsx b/src/features/ui/components/modals/emoji-picker-modal.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e3cd91ccc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/features/ui/components/modals/emoji-picker-modal.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+import Modal from 'soapbox/components/ui/modal.tsx';
+import EmojiPickerDropdown from 'soapbox/features/emoji/components/emoji-picker-dropdown.tsx';
+import { Emoji } from 'soapbox/features/emoji/index.ts';
+
+interface IEmojiPickerModal {
+  onPickEmoji?: (emoji: Emoji) => void;
+}
+
+export const EmojiPickerModal: React.FC<IEmojiPickerModal> = (props) => {
+  return (
+    <Modal className='flex' theme='transparent'>
+      <EmojiPickerDropdown {...props} />
+    </Modal>
+  );
+};
+
+export default EmojiPickerModal;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/features/ui/util/async-components.ts b/src/features/ui/util/async-components.ts
index 546e931ee..7b2a62ab5 100644
--- a/src/features/ui/util/async-components.ts
+++ b/src/features/ui/util/async-components.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { lazy } from 'react';
 
 export const AboutPage = lazy(() => import('soapbox/features/about/index.tsx'));
 export const EmojiPicker = lazy(() => import('soapbox/features/emoji/components/emoji-picker.tsx'));
+export const EmojiPickerModal = lazy(() => import('soapbox/features/ui/components/modals/emoji-picker-modal.tsx'));
 export const Notifications = lazy(() => import('soapbox/features/notifications/index.tsx'));
 export const LandingTimeline = lazy(() => import('soapbox/features/landing-timeline/index.tsx'));
 export const HomeTimeline = lazy(() => import('soapbox/features/home-timeline/index.tsx'));