Not sure if this is a bug or by design, but when using Emoji Search, iOS seems to invisibly apply AutoCorrect to what you've typed.
For example, if I start typing "Easter" and get as far as "Easte", rather than show every emoji that might start with "Easte", the search function seems to decide I mean "Waste" and show the waste bin emoji. If I add the last "r" then I properly get all the Easter-related emojis.
A bit annoying as it means you'll often need to type your search term in full to get what you're after, when it should be obvious (or at least you should be presented with a relevant selection) after just typing a few letters.
For example, if I start typing "Easter" and get as far as "Easte", rather than show every emoji that might start with "Easte", the search function seems to decide I mean "Waste" and show the waste bin emoji. If I add the last "r" then I properly get all the Easter-related emojis.
A bit annoying as it means you'll often need to type your search term in full to get what you're after, when it should be obvious (or at least you should be presented with a relevant selection) after just typing a few letters.