Methods and apparatuses for displaying chat messages in selectable balloon styles. In one aspect of the present invention, a method to display a chat message includes: receiving a chat message and a balloon style; and displaying the chat message in a balloon of the received balloon style. In one example, the chat message and the balloon style are received from a network connection; and, the balloon style is selected by a user who sent the chat message. In one example, the chat message and the balloon style are received from input devices for user interaction; and, the chat message and the balloon style is also transmitted to a remote device for display. In one example, the balloon style indicates an emotional state (e.g., happy, angry) associated with the message. In another example, the balloon style indicates a predetermined message (e.g., the user is in the process of preparing a message). In one example, the balloon style is user customized (or user defined).