diff --git a/lib/controllers/emoji_controller.dart b/lib/controllers/emoji_controller.dart
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..358f98b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/controllers/emoji_controller.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+import "dart:convert";
+import "package:emoji_text_field/models/emoji_category.dart";
+import "package:fast_immutable_collections/fast_immutable_collections.dart";
+import "package:flutter/material.dart";
+import "package:flutter_riverpod/flutter_riverpod.dart";
+import "package:http/http.dart";
+import "package:nexus/models/emoji.dart";
+
+typedef EmojiTuple = (IMap<String, EmojiCategory>, IMap<String, List<String>>);
+
+class EmojiController extends AsyncNotifier<EmojiTuple> {
+  @override
+  Future<EmojiTuple> build() async {
+    final response = await get(
+      Uri.https(
+        "github.com",
+        "github/gemoji/raw/refs/heads/master/db/emoji.json",
+      ),
+    );
+
+    if (response.statusCode != 200) {
+      throw Exception("Failed to load emoji data");
+    }
+
+    final data = json.decode(response.body);
+
+    final entries = (data as List)
+        .cast<Map<String, dynamic>>()
+        .map(Emoji.fromJson)
+        .toIList();
+
+    final categoryMap = entries.fold<IMap<String, IList<String>>>(
+      const IMap.empty(),
+      (acc, entry) => acc.update(
+        entry.category,
+        (list) => list.add(entry.emoji),
+        ifAbsent: () => IList([entry.emoji]),
+      ),
+    );
+
+    final keywordMap = entries.fold<IMap<String, IList<String>>>(
+      const IMap.empty(),
+      (acc, entry) => acc.add(
+        entry.emoji,
+        IList<String>([...entry.tags, ...entry.aliases, entry.description]),
+      ),
+    );
+
+    final customCategories = IMap.fromEntries(
+      categoryMap.entries.map(
+        (entry) => MapEntry(
+          entry.key,
+          EmojiCategory(
+            name: entry.key,
+            icon: switch (entry.key) {
+              "Smileys & Emotion" => Icons.emoji_emotions,
+              "People & Body" => Icons.emoji_people,
+              "Animals & Nature" => Icons.emoji_nature,
+              "Food & Drink" => Icons.emoji_food_beverage,
+              "Travel & Places" => Icons.travel_explore,
+              "Activities" => Icons.sports_soccer,
+              "Objects" => Icons.emoji_objects,
+              "Symbols" => Icons.emoji_symbols,
+              "Flags" => Icons.emoji_flags,
+              _ => Icons.category,
+            },
+            emojis: entry.value.toList(growable: false),
+          ),
+        ),
+      ),
+    );
+
+    final customKeywords = IMap(
+      Map.fromEntries(
+        keywordMap.entries.map(
+          (e) => MapEntry(e.key, e.value.toList(growable: false)),
+        ),
+      ),
+    );
+
+    return (customCategories, customKeywords);
+  }
+
+  static final provider =
+      AsyncNotifierProvider.autoDispose<EmojiController, EmojiTuple>(
+        EmojiController.new,
+      );
+}
diff --git a/lib/models/emoji.dart b/lib/models/emoji.dart
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8e4eac6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/models/emoji.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+import "package:fast_immutable_collections/fast_immutable_collections.dart";
+import "package:freezed_annotation/freezed_annotation.dart";
+part "emoji.freezed.dart";
+part "emoji.g.dart";
+
+@freezed
+abstract class Emoji with _$Emoji {
+  const factory Emoji({
+    required String emoji,
+    required String category,
+    required IList<String> aliases,
+    required String description,
+    required IList<String> tags,
+  }) = _Emoji;
+
+  factory Emoji.fromJson(Map<String, Object?> json) => _$EmojiFromJson(json);
+}
diff --git a/lib/widgets/chat_page/emoji_picker_button.dart b/lib/widgets/chat_page/emoji_picker_button.dart
index 0c43c48..e8805ca 100644
--- a/lib/widgets/chat_page/emoji_picker_button.dart
+++ b/lib/widgets/chat_page/emoji_picker_button.dart
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 import "package:emoji_text_field/emoji_text_field.dart";
 import "package:flutter/material.dart";
-import "package:flutter_hooks/flutter_hooks.dart";
+import "package:hooks_riverpod/hooks_riverpod.dart";
+import "package:nexus/controllers/emoji_controller.dart";
 
-class EmojiPickerButton extends HookWidget {
+class EmojiPickerButton extends HookConsumerWidget {
   final TextEditingController? controller;
   final void Function(String emoji)? onSelection;
   final VoidCallback? onPressed;
@@ -16,25 +17,34 @@ class EmojiPickerButton extends HookWidget {
   });
 
   @override
-  Widget build(_) => IconButton(
-    onPressed: () {
+  Widget build(_, WidgetRef ref) => IconButton(
+    onPressed: () async {
       onPressed?.call();
       final controller = this.controller ?? TextEditingController();
-      showModalBottomSheet(
-        context: context,
-        builder: (context) => EmojiKeyboardView(
-          config: EmojiViewConfig(
-            showRecentTab: false,
-            backgroundColor: Theme.of(context).colorScheme.surfaceContainer,
-            height: 600,
+
+      final emojis = await ref.watch(EmojiController.provider.future);
+      if (context.mounted) {
+        showModalBottomSheet(
+          context: context,
+          builder: (context) => EmojiKeyboardView(
+            config: EmojiViewConfig(
+              showRecentTab: false,
+              customCategories: emojis.$1.unlock,
+              customKeywords: emojis.$2.unlock,
+              backgroundColor: Theme.of(context).colorScheme.surfaceContainer,
+              height: 600,
+            ),
+            textController: controller
+              ..addListener(() {
+                // Without this, there will sometimes be a debugLocked is not true error sometimes
+                Future.delayed(Duration.zero, () {
+                  if (context.mounted) Navigator.of(context).pop();
+                });
+                onSelection?.call(controller.text);
+              }),
           ),
-          textController: controller
-            ..addListener(() async {
-              Navigator.of(context).pop();
-              onSelection?.call(controller.text);
-            }),
-        ),
-      );
+        );
+      }
     },
     icon: Icon(Icons.emoji_emotions),
   );
diff --git a/linux/nix/pkg/default.nix b/linux/nix/pkg/default.nix
index 26f2a17..adaeb15 100644
--- a/linux/nix/pkg/default.nix
+++ b/linux/nix/pkg/default.nix
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ flutter.buildFlutterApplication {
     dynamic_system_colors = "sha256-es6rjMK1drkqZBKYUP77yw/q5+0uLwWOEDOXRawy3Dc=";
     flutter_chat_ui = "sha256-4fuag7lRH5cMBFD3fUzj2K541JwXLoz8HF/4OMr3uhk=";
     flutter_link_previewer = "sha256-4fuag7lRH5cMBFD3fUzj2K541JwXLoz8HF/4OMr3uhk=";
-    emoji_text_field = "sha256-F0QbIHP3wpKoL6QbJ20Oun0SsOdwnXe84IqsK2ad85w=";
+    emoji_text_field = "sha256-3TOys09EP2GRo6pUBGPXaqBlE39O2Cmwt42Hs1cTDKo=";
   };
 
   postInstall = ''
diff --git a/pubspec.lock b/pubspec.lock
index ef7fcd9..984341b 100644
--- a/pubspec.lock
+++ b/pubspec.lock
@@ -359,7 +359,7 @@ packages:
     description:
       path: "."
       ref: HEAD
-      resolved-ref: "0e90703a6e876939be70bd1816c49cf14474de61"
+      resolved-ref: "5f7baaf8a6f059ec3ab8ff0f5d02339b00bf6997"
       url: "https://github.com/Henry-Hiles/emoji_text_field"
     source: git
     version: "1.0.0"