diff --git a/src/components/views/emojipicker/Category.tsx b/src/components/views/emojipicker/Category.tsx
index 9ffe1dce14..75734a5d16 100644
--- a/src/components/views/emojipicker/Category.tsx
+++ b/src/components/views/emojipicker/Category.tsx
@@ -61,17 +61,17 @@ class Category extends React.PureComponent<IProps> {
         return (
             <div key={rowIndex} role="row">
                 {emojisForRow.map((emoji) => (
-                    <Emoji
-                        key={emoji.hexcode}
-                        emoji={emoji}
-                        selectedEmojis={selectedEmojis}
-                        onClick={onClick}
-                        onMouseEnter={onMouseEnter}
-                        onMouseLeave={onMouseLeave}
-                        disabled={this.props.isEmojiDisabled?.(emoji.unicode)}
-                        id={`mx_EmojiPicker_item_${this.props.id}_${hexEncode(emoji.unicode)}`}
-                        role="gridcell"
-                    />
+                    <div role="gridcell" className="mx_EmojiPicker_item_wrapper" key={emoji.hexcode}>
+                        <Emoji
+                            emoji={emoji}
+                            selectedEmojis={selectedEmojis}
+                            onClick={onClick}
+                            onMouseEnter={onMouseEnter}
+                            onMouseLeave={onMouseLeave}
+                            disabled={this.props.isEmojiDisabled?.(emoji.unicode)}
+                            id={`mx_EmojiPicker_item_${this.props.id}_${hexEncode(emoji.unicode)}`}
+                        />
+                    </div>
                 ))}
             </div>
         );
@@ -118,6 +118,7 @@ class Category extends React.PureComponent<IProps> {
                     overflowMargin={0}
                     renderItem={this.renderEmojiRow}
                     role="grid"
+                    aria-multiselectable
                 />
             </section>
         );
diff --git a/src/components/views/emojipicker/Emoji.tsx b/src/components/views/emojipicker/Emoji.tsx
index 26d15d4dc6..8cc104f9a5 100644
--- a/src/components/views/emojipicker/Emoji.tsx
+++ b/src/components/views/emojipicker/Emoji.tsx
@@ -15,13 +15,17 @@ import { RovingAccessibleButton } from "../../../accessibility/RovingTabIndex";
 
 interface IProps {
     emoji: IEmoji;
+    /**
+     * Set of which emojis are already selected and should be decorated as such.
+     * If specified, emoji will use a checkbox role with aria-checked set appropriately.
+     */
     selectedEmojis?: Set<string>;
     onClick(ev: ButtonEvent, emoji: IEmoji): void;
     onMouseEnter(emoji: IEmoji): void;
     onMouseLeave(emoji: IEmoji): void;
     disabled?: boolean;
     id?: string;
-    role?: string;
+    className?: string;
 }
 
 class Emoji extends React.PureComponent<IProps> {
@@ -34,9 +38,10 @@ class Emoji extends React.PureComponent<IProps> {
                 onClick={(ev: ButtonEvent) => onClick(ev, emoji)}
                 onMouseEnter={() => onMouseEnter(emoji)}
                 onMouseLeave={() => onMouseLeave(emoji)}
-                className="mx_EmojiPicker_item_wrapper"
-                disabled={this.props.disabled}
-                role={this.props.role}
+                className={this.props.className}
+                disabled={this.props.disabled || undefined}
+                role={selectedEmojis ? "checkbox" : undefined}
+                aria-checked={this.props.disabled ? undefined : isSelected}
                 focusOnMouseOver
             >
                 <div className={`mx_EmojiPicker_item ${isSelected ? "mx_EmojiPicker_item_selected" : ""}`}>
diff --git a/src/components/views/emojipicker/EmojiPicker.tsx b/src/components/views/emojipicker/EmojiPicker.tsx
index f8ab405f5d..5311e84c91 100644
--- a/src/components/views/emojipicker/EmojiPicker.tsx
+++ b/src/components/views/emojipicker/EmojiPicker.tsx
@@ -152,24 +152,42 @@ class EmojiPicker extends React.Component<IProps, IState> {
         this.updateVisibility();
     };
 
+    // Given a roving emoji button returns the role=row element containing it
+    private getRow(rovingNode?: Element): Element | undefined {
+        return this.getGridcell(rovingNode)?.parentElement ?? undefined;
+    }
+
+    // Given a roving emoji button returns the role=gridcell element containing it
+    private getGridcell(rovingNode?: Element): Element | undefined {
+        return rovingNode?.parentElement ?? undefined;
+    }
+
+    // Given a role=gridcell node returns the roving emoji button contained within
+    private getRovingNode(gridcellNode?: Element): Element | undefined {
+        return gridcellNode?.children[0];
+    }
+
     private keyboardNavigation(ev: React.KeyboardEvent, state: RovingState, dispatch: Dispatch<RovingAction>): void {
-        const node = state.activeNode;
-        const parent = node?.parentElement;
-        if (!parent || !state.activeNode) return;
-        const rowIndex = Array.from(parent.children).indexOf(node);
+        const rowElement = this.getRow(state.activeNode);
+        const gridcellNode = this.getGridcell(state.activeNode);
+        if (!rowElement || !gridcellNode || !state.activeNode) return;
+
+        // Index of element within row container
+        const columnIndex = Array.from(rowElement.children).indexOf(gridcellNode);
+        // Index of element within the list of roving nodes
         const refIndex = state.nodes.indexOf(state.activeNode);
 
         let focusNode: HTMLElement | undefined;
-        let newParent: HTMLElement | undefined;
+        let newRowElement: Element | undefined;
         switch (ev.key) {
             case Key.ARROW_LEFT:
                 focusNode = state.nodes[refIndex - 1];
-                newParent = focusNode?.parentElement ?? undefined;
+                newRowElement = this.getRow(focusNode);
                 break;
 
             case Key.ARROW_RIGHT:
                 focusNode = state.nodes[refIndex + 1];
-                newParent = focusNode?.parentElement ?? undefined;
+                newRowElement = this.getRow(focusNode);
                 break;
 
             case Key.ARROW_UP:
@@ -177,11 +195,14 @@ class EmojiPicker extends React.Component<IProps, IState> {
                 // For up/down we find the prev/next parent by inspecting the refs either side of our row
                 const node =
                     ev.key === Key.ARROW_UP
-                        ? state.nodes[refIndex - rowIndex - 1]
-                        : state.nodes[refIndex - rowIndex + EMOJIS_PER_ROW];
-                newParent = node?.parentElement ?? undefined;
-                const newTarget = newParent?.children[clamp(rowIndex, 0, newParent.children.length - 1)];
-                focusNode = state.nodes.find((r) => r === newTarget);
+                        ? state.nodes[refIndex - columnIndex - 1]
+                        : state.nodes[refIndex - columnIndex + EMOJIS_PER_ROW];
+                newRowElement = this.getRow(node);
+                if (newRowElement) {
+                    const newColumnIndex = clamp(columnIndex, 0, newRowElement.children.length - 1);
+                    const newTarget = this.getRovingNode(newRowElement?.children[newColumnIndex]);
+                    focusNode = state.nodes.find((r) => r === newTarget);
+                }
                 break;
             }
         }
@@ -197,7 +218,7 @@ class EmojiPicker extends React.Component<IProps, IState> {
                 payload: { node: focusNode },
             });
 
-            if (parent !== newParent) {
+            if (rowElement !== newRowElement) {
                 focusNode?.scrollIntoView({
                     behavior: "auto",
                     block: "center",
@@ -315,7 +336,7 @@ class EmojiPicker extends React.Component<IProps, IState> {
 
     private onEnterFilter = (): void => {
         const btn = this.scrollRef.current?.containerRef.current?.querySelector<HTMLButtonElement>(
-            '.mx_EmojiPicker_item_wrapper[tabindex="0"]',
+            '.mx_EmojiPicker_item_wrapper [tabindex="0"]',
         );
         btn?.click();
         this.props.onFinished();
diff --git a/src/components/views/emojipicker/QuickReactions.tsx b/src/components/views/emojipicker/QuickReactions.tsx
index a814a6b206..4b337cd5f5 100644
--- a/src/components/views/emojipicker/QuickReactions.tsx
+++ b/src/components/views/emojipicker/QuickReactions.tsx
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@ class QuickReactions extends React.Component<IProps, IState> {
                             onMouseEnter={this.onMouseEnter}
                             onMouseLeave={this.onMouseLeave}
                             selectedEmojis={this.props.selectedEmojis}
+                            className="mx_EmojiPicker_item_wrapper"
                         />
                     ))}
                 </Toolbar>