diff --git a/packages/pl-fe/package.json b/packages/pl-fe/package.json
index 75262306a0..28837b1f94 100644
--- a/packages/pl-fe/package.json
+++ b/packages/pl-fe/package.json
@@ -132,7 +132,6 @@
     "reselect": "^5.1.1",
     "resize-observer-polyfill": "^1.5.1",
     "sass": "^1.79.4",
-    "semver": "^7.6.3",
     "stringz": "^2.1.0",
     "tiny-queue": "^0.2.1",
     "tslib": "^2.7.0",
diff --git a/packages/pl-fe/src/features/emoji/index.ts b/packages/pl-fe/src/features/emoji/index.ts
index 1e85fc74f3..aafe331d6a 100644
--- a/packages/pl-fe/src/features/emoji/index.ts
+++ b/packages/pl-fe/src/features/emoji/index.ts
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@ import split from 'graphemesplit';
 
 import unicodeMapping from './mapping';
 
+import type { Emoji as EmojiMart, CustomEmoji as EmojiMartCustom } from './data';
 import type { CustomEmoji as BaseCustomEmoji } from 'pl-api';
-import type { Emoji as EmojiMart, CustomEmoji as EmojiMartCustom } from 'pl-fe/features/emoji/data';
 
 /*
  * TODO: Consolate emoji object types
diff --git a/packages/pl-fe/src/features/emoji/mapping-compiletime.ts b/packages/pl-fe/src/features/emoji/mapping-compiletime.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f5ef8cdf0a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/pl-fe/src/features/emoji/mapping-compiletime.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,107 @@
+import { createRequire } from 'node:module';
+
+import type { EmojiData } from './data';
+import type { UnicodeMap } from './mapping';
+
+const require = createRequire(import.meta.url);
+const data = require('@emoji-mart/data/sets/14/twitter.json');
+
+const stripLeadingZeros = /^0+/;
+
+/*
+ * Twemoji strips their hex codes from unicode codepoints to make it look "pretty"
+ * - leading 0s are removed
+ * - fe0f is removed unless it has 200d
+ * - fe0f is NOT removed for 1f441-fe0f-200d-1f5e8-fe0f even though it has a 200d
+ *
+ * this is all wrong
+ */
+const blacklist = {
+  '1f441-fe0f-200d-1f5e8-fe0f': true,
+};
+
+const tweaks = {
+  '#⃣': ['23-20e3', 'hash'],
+  '*⃣': ['2a-20e3', 'keycap_star'],
+  '0⃣': ['30-20e3', 'zero'],
+  '1⃣': ['31-20e3', 'one'],
+  '2⃣': ['32-20e3', 'two'],
+  '3⃣': ['33-20e3', 'three'],
+  '4⃣': ['34-20e3', 'four'],
+  '5⃣': ['35-20e3', 'five'],
+  '6⃣': ['36-20e3', 'six'],
+  '7⃣': ['37-20e3', 'seven'],
+  '8⃣': ['38-20e3', 'eight'],
+  '9⃣': ['39-20e3', 'nine'],
+  '❤‍🔥': ['2764-fe0f-200d-1f525', 'heart_on_fire'],
+  '❤‍🩹': ['2764-fe0f-200d-1fa79', 'mending_heart'],
+  '👁‍🗨️': ['1f441-fe0f-200d-1f5e8-fe0f', 'eye-in-speech-bubble'],
+  '👁️‍🗨': ['1f441-fe0f-200d-1f5e8-fe0f', 'eye-in-speech-bubble'],
+  '👁‍🗨': ['1f441-fe0f-200d-1f5e8-fe0f', 'eye-in-speech-bubble'],
+  '🕵‍♂️': ['1f575-fe0f-200d-2642-fe0f', 'male-detective'],
+  '🕵️‍♂': ['1f575-fe0f-200d-2642-fe0f', 'male-detective'],
+  '🕵‍♂': ['1f575-fe0f-200d-2642-fe0f', 'male-detective'],
+  '🕵‍♀️': ['1f575-fe0f-200d-2640-fe0f', 'female-detective'],
+  '🕵️‍♀': ['1f575-fe0f-200d-2640-fe0f', 'female-detective'],
+  '🕵‍♀': ['1f575-fe0f-200d-2640-fe0f', 'female-detective'],
+  '🏌‍♂️': ['1f3cc-fe0f-200d-2642-fe0f', 'man-golfing'],
+  '🏌️‍♂': ['1f3cc-fe0f-200d-2642-fe0f', 'man-golfing'],
+  '🏌‍♂': ['1f3cc-fe0f-200d-2642-fe0f', 'man-golfing'],
+  '🏌‍♀️': ['1f3cc-fe0f-200d-2640-fe0f', 'woman-golfing'],
+  '🏌️‍♀': ['1f3cc-fe0f-200d-2640-fe0f', 'woman-golfing'],
+  '🏌‍♀': ['1f3cc-fe0f-200d-2640-fe0f', 'woman-golfing'],
+  '⛹‍♂️': ['26f9-fe0f-200d-2642-fe0f', 'man-bouncing-ball'],
+  '⛹️‍♂': ['26f9-fe0f-200d-2642-fe0f', 'man-bouncing-ball'],
+  '⛹‍♂': ['26f9-fe0f-200d-2642-fe0f', 'man-bouncing-ball'],
+  '⛹‍♀️': ['26f9-fe0f-200d-2640-fe0f', 'woman-bouncing-ball'],
+  '⛹️‍♀': ['26f9-fe0f-200d-2640-fe0f', 'woman-bouncing-ball'],
+  '⛹‍♀': ['26f9-fe0f-200d-2640-fe0f', 'woman-bouncing-ball'],
+  '🏋‍♂️': ['1f3cb-fe0f-200d-2642-fe0f', 'man-lifting-weights'],
+  '🏋️‍♂': ['1f3cb-fe0f-200d-2642-fe0f', 'man-lifting-weights'],
+  '🏋‍♂': ['1f3cb-fe0f-200d-2642-fe0f', 'man-lifting-weights'],
+  '🏋‍♀️': ['1f3cb-fe0f-200d-2640-fe0f', 'woman-lifting-weights'],
+  '🏋️‍♀': ['1f3cb-fe0f-200d-2640-fe0f', 'woman-lifting-weights'],
+  '🏋‍♀': ['1f3cb-fe0f-200d-2640-fe0f', 'woman-lifting-weights'],
+  '🏳‍🌈': ['1f3f3-fe0f-200d-1f308', 'rainbow_flag'],
+  '🏳‍⚧️': ['1f3f3-fe0f-200d-26a7-fe0f', 'transgender_flag'],
+  '🏳️‍⚧': ['1f3f3-fe0f-200d-26a7-fe0f', 'transgender_flag'],
+  '🏳‍⚧': ['1f3f3-fe0f-200d-26a7-fe0f', 'transgender_flag'],
+};
+
+const stripcodes = (unified: string, native: string) => {
+  const stripped = unified.replace(stripLeadingZeros, '');
+
+  if (unified.includes('200d') && !(unified in blacklist)) {
+    return stripped;
+  } else {
+    return stripped.replaceAll('-fe0f', '');
+  }
+};
+
+const generateMappings = (emojiMap: EmojiData['emojis']): UnicodeMap => {
+  const result: UnicodeMap = {};
+  const emojis = Object.values(emojiMap ?? {});
+
+  for (const value of emojis) {
+    for (const item of value.skins) {
+      const { unified, native } = item;
+      const stripped = stripcodes(unified, native);
+
+      result[native] = { unified: stripped, shortcode: value.id };
+    }
+  }
+
+  for (const [native, [unified, shortcode]] of Object.entries(tweaks)) {
+    const stripped = stripcodes(unified, native);
+
+    result[native] = { unified: stripped, shortcode };
+  }
+
+  return result;
+};
+
+const unicodeMapping = generateMappings(data.emojis);
+
+export default () => ({
+  data: unicodeMapping,
+});
diff --git a/packages/pl-fe/src/features/emoji/mapping.ts b/packages/pl-fe/src/features/emoji/mapping.ts
index 5d5ba507aa..a76d52245f 100644
--- a/packages/pl-fe/src/features/emoji/mapping.ts
+++ b/packages/pl-fe/src/features/emoji/mapping.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,3 @@
-import data, { EmojiData } from './data';
-
-const stripLeadingZeros = /^0+/;
 interface UnicodeMap {
   [s: string]: {
     unified: string;
@@ -8,99 +5,6 @@ interface UnicodeMap {
   };
 }
 
-/*
- * Twemoji strips their hex codes from unicode codepoints to make it look "pretty"
- * - leading 0s are removed
- * - fe0f is removed unless it has 200d
- * - fe0f is NOT removed for 1f441-fe0f-200d-1f5e8-fe0f even though it has a 200d
- *
- * this is all wrong
- */
+export default import.meta.compileTime<UnicodeMap>('./mapping-compiletime.ts');
 
-const blacklist = {
-  '1f441-fe0f-200d-1f5e8-fe0f': true,
-};
-
-const tweaks = {
-  '#⃣': ['23-20e3', 'hash'],
-  '*⃣': ['2a-20e3', 'keycap_star'],
-  '0⃣': ['30-20e3', 'zero'],
-  '1⃣': ['31-20e3', 'one'],
-  '2⃣': ['32-20e3', 'two'],
-  '3⃣': ['33-20e3', 'three'],
-  '4⃣': ['34-20e3', 'four'],
-  '5⃣': ['35-20e3', 'five'],
-  '6⃣': ['36-20e3', 'six'],
-  '7⃣': ['37-20e3', 'seven'],
-  '8⃣': ['38-20e3', 'eight'],
-  '9⃣': ['39-20e3', 'nine'],
-  '❤‍🔥': ['2764-fe0f-200d-1f525', 'heart_on_fire'],
-  '❤‍🩹': ['2764-fe0f-200d-1fa79', 'mending_heart'],
-  '👁‍🗨️': ['1f441-fe0f-200d-1f5e8-fe0f', 'eye-in-speech-bubble'],
-  '👁️‍🗨': ['1f441-fe0f-200d-1f5e8-fe0f', 'eye-in-speech-bubble'],
-  '👁‍🗨': ['1f441-fe0f-200d-1f5e8-fe0f', 'eye-in-speech-bubble'],
-  '🕵‍♂️': ['1f575-fe0f-200d-2642-fe0f', 'male-detective'],
-  '🕵️‍♂': ['1f575-fe0f-200d-2642-fe0f', 'male-detective'],
-  '🕵‍♂': ['1f575-fe0f-200d-2642-fe0f', 'male-detective'],
-  '🕵‍♀️': ['1f575-fe0f-200d-2640-fe0f', 'female-detective'],
-  '🕵️‍♀': ['1f575-fe0f-200d-2640-fe0f', 'female-detective'],
-  '🕵‍♀': ['1f575-fe0f-200d-2640-fe0f', 'female-detective'],
-  '🏌‍♂️': ['1f3cc-fe0f-200d-2642-fe0f', 'man-golfing'],
-  '🏌️‍♂': ['1f3cc-fe0f-200d-2642-fe0f', 'man-golfing'],
-  '🏌‍♂': ['1f3cc-fe0f-200d-2642-fe0f', 'man-golfing'],
-  '🏌‍♀️': ['1f3cc-fe0f-200d-2640-fe0f', 'woman-golfing'],
-  '🏌️‍♀': ['1f3cc-fe0f-200d-2640-fe0f', 'woman-golfing'],
-  '🏌‍♀': ['1f3cc-fe0f-200d-2640-fe0f', 'woman-golfing'],
-  '⛹‍♂️': ['26f9-fe0f-200d-2642-fe0f', 'man-bouncing-ball'],
-  '⛹️‍♂': ['26f9-fe0f-200d-2642-fe0f', 'man-bouncing-ball'],
-  '⛹‍♂': ['26f9-fe0f-200d-2642-fe0f', 'man-bouncing-ball'],
-  '⛹‍♀️': ['26f9-fe0f-200d-2640-fe0f', 'woman-bouncing-ball'],
-  '⛹️‍♀': ['26f9-fe0f-200d-2640-fe0f', 'woman-bouncing-ball'],
-  '⛹‍♀': ['26f9-fe0f-200d-2640-fe0f', 'woman-bouncing-ball'],
-  '🏋‍♂️': ['1f3cb-fe0f-200d-2642-fe0f', 'man-lifting-weights'],
-  '🏋️‍♂': ['1f3cb-fe0f-200d-2642-fe0f', 'man-lifting-weights'],
-  '🏋‍♂': ['1f3cb-fe0f-200d-2642-fe0f', 'man-lifting-weights'],
-  '🏋‍♀️': ['1f3cb-fe0f-200d-2640-fe0f', 'woman-lifting-weights'],
-  '🏋️‍♀': ['1f3cb-fe0f-200d-2640-fe0f', 'woman-lifting-weights'],
-  '🏋‍♀': ['1f3cb-fe0f-200d-2640-fe0f', 'woman-lifting-weights'],
-  '🏳‍🌈': ['1f3f3-fe0f-200d-1f308', 'rainbow_flag'],
-  '🏳‍⚧️': ['1f3f3-fe0f-200d-26a7-fe0f', 'transgender_flag'],
-  '🏳️‍⚧': ['1f3f3-fe0f-200d-26a7-fe0f', 'transgender_flag'],
-  '🏳‍⚧': ['1f3f3-fe0f-200d-26a7-fe0f', 'transgender_flag'],
-};
-
-const stripcodes = (unified: string, native: string) => {
-  const stripped = unified.replace(stripLeadingZeros, '');
-
-  if (unified.includes('200d') && !(unified in blacklist)) {
-    return stripped;
-  } else {
-    return stripped.replaceAll('-fe0f', '');
-  }
-};
-
-const generateMappings = (data: EmojiData): UnicodeMap => {
-  const result: UnicodeMap = {};
-  const emojis = Object.values(data.emojis ?? {});
-
-  for (const value of emojis) {
-    for (const item of value.skins) {
-      const { unified, native } = item;
-      const stripped = stripcodes(unified, native);
-
-      result[native] = { unified: stripped, shortcode: value.id };
-    }
-  }
-
-  for (const [native, [unified, shortcode]] of Object.entries(tweaks)) {
-    const stripped = stripcodes(unified, native);
-
-    result[native] = { unified: stripped, shortcode };
-  }
-
-  return result;
-};
-
-const unicodeMapping = generateMappings(data);
-
-export { generateMappings, unicodeMapping as default };
+export type { UnicodeMap };
diff --git a/packages/pl-fe/src/features/emoji/search.ts b/packages/pl-fe/src/features/emoji/search.ts
index 0316f6445d..286873ca75 100644
--- a/packages/pl-fe/src/features/emoji/search.ts
+++ b/packages/pl-fe/src/features/emoji/search.ts
@@ -1,21 +1,26 @@
 import FlexSearch from 'flexsearch';
 
-import data from './data';
-
+import type { EmojiData } from './data';
 import type { Emoji } from './index';
 import type { CustomEmoji } from 'pl-api';
 
+let emojis: EmojiData['emojis'] = {};
+
+import('./data').then(data => {
+  emojis = data.emojis;
+
+  const sortedEmojis = Object.entries(emojis).sort((a, b) => a[0].localeCompare(b[0]));
+  for (const [key, emoji] of sortedEmojis) {
+    index.add('n' + key, `${emoji.id} ${emoji.name} ${emoji.keywords.join(' ')}`);
+  }
+}).catch(() => { });
+
 const index = new FlexSearch.Index({
   tokenize: 'full',
   optimize: true,
   context: true,
 });
 
-const sortedEmojis = Object.entries(data.emojis).sort((a, b) => a[0].localeCompare(b[0]));
-for (const [key, emoji] of sortedEmojis) {
-  index.add('n' + key, `${emoji.id} ${emoji.name} ${emoji.keywords.join(' ')}`);
-}
-
 interface searchOptions {
   maxResults?: number;
   custom?: any;
@@ -58,7 +63,7 @@ const search = (
       }
     }
 
-    const skins = data.emojis[id.slice(1)]?.skins;
+    const skins = emojis[id.slice(1)]?.skins;
 
     if (skins) {
       return {
diff --git a/packages/pl-fe/src/reducers/custom-emojis.ts b/packages/pl-fe/src/reducers/custom-emojis.ts
index d6fe9f49e3..4273d44c90 100644
--- a/packages/pl-fe/src/reducers/custom-emojis.ts
+++ b/packages/pl-fe/src/reducers/custom-emojis.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import { buildCustomEmojis } from 'pl-fe/features/emoji';
-import emojiData from 'pl-fe/features/emoji/data';
 import { addCustomToPool } from 'pl-fe/features/emoji/search';
 
 import { CUSTOM_EMOJIS_FETCH_SUCCESS, type CustomEmojisAction } from '../actions/custom-emojis';
@@ -8,27 +7,10 @@ import type { CustomEmoji } from 'pl-api';
 
 const initialState: Array<CustomEmoji> = [];
 
-// Populate custom emojis for composer autosuggest
-const autosuggestPopulate = (emojis: Array<CustomEmoji>) => {
-  addCustomToPool(buildCustomEmojis(emojis));
-};
-
-const importEmojis = (customEmojis: Array<CustomEmoji>) => {
-  const emojis = customEmojis.filter((emoji) => {
-    // If a custom emoji has the shortcode of a Unicode emoji, skip it.
-    // Otherwise it breaks EmojiMart.
-    // https://gitlab.com/soapbox-pub/soapbox/-/issues/610
-    const shortcode = emoji.shortcode.toLowerCase();
-    return !emojiData.emojis[shortcode];
-  });
-
-  autosuggestPopulate(emojis);
-  return emojis;
-};
-
 const custom_emojis = (state = initialState, action: CustomEmojisAction) => {
   if (action.type === CUSTOM_EMOJIS_FETCH_SUCCESS) {
-    return importEmojis(action.custom_emojis);
+    addCustomToPool(buildCustomEmojis(action.custom_emojis));
+    return action.custom_emojis;
   }
 
   return state;