diff --git a/src/app/components/emoji-board/EmojiBoard.tsx b/src/app/components/emoji-board/EmojiBoard.tsx
index 91252a70f..da56c7fea 100644
--- a/src/app/components/emoji-board/EmojiBoard.tsx
+++ b/src/app/components/emoji-board/EmojiBoard.tsx
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ import { useVirtualizer } from '@tanstack/react-virtual';
 import { EmojiData, IEmoji, emojiGroups, emojis, loadEmojiData } from '../../plugins/emoji';
 import { useEmojiGroupLabels } from './useEmojiGroupLabels';
 import { useEmojiGroupIcons } from './useEmojiGroupIcons';
-import { preventScrollWithArrowKey, stopPropagation } from '../../utils/keyboard';
+import { preventScrollWithArrowKey } from '../../utils/keyboard';
 import { useRelevantImagePacks } from '../../hooks/useImagePacks';
 import { useMatrixClient } from '../../hooks/useMatrixClient';
 import { useRecentEmoji } from '../../hooks/useRecentEmoji';
@@ -612,7 +612,13 @@ export function EmojiBoard({
           !editableActiveElement() && isKeyHotkey(['arrowdown', 'arrowright'], evt),
         isKeyBackward: (evt: KeyboardEvent) =>
           !editableActiveElement() && isKeyHotkey(['arrowup', 'arrowleft'], evt),
-        escapeDeactivates: stopPropagation,
+        // [Gitea #304] The board opens with focus in its search field, where
+        // the shared stopPropagation helper ignores Escape. Always close here,
+        // without letting the key also close the room/modal underneath.
+        escapeDeactivates: (evt: KeyboardEvent) => {
+          evt.stopPropagation();
+          return true;
+        },
       }}
     >
       <EmojiBoardLayout