U+0038 U+20E3 · emoji since 2010
The keycap eight is the number 8 on a button. It means the digit in times and scores, figure eights, and the eight ball on the pool table.
It also stands in for ate in playful number-speak, which is why gr8 never really went away.
In texting, 8️⃣ does not carry a widely used hidden or slang meaning, so you can usually take it at face value. People send it just as it looks, to add a little visual touch or set the mood of a message. Only a handful of emoji have a separate texting code, and 8️⃣ is not really one of them.
Its official Unicode name is the Keycap 8 emoji. In everyday chat most people just call it the keycap 8 emoji or describe what it shows. Copy and paste it from the button at the top of this page.
The 8️⃣ leads off a short phrase, and the rest of the words are written in cipher, every letter disguised as another emoji. Tap decipher to reveal the whole line.
Or make your own cipher in the translator.