She then released her debut album, Yellow Ranger (2014), and appeared on the MTV comedy series Girl Code (2014–2015).

She expanded to films with supporting roles in the comedies Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016), Ocean's 8 (2018), Crazy Rich Asians (2018), and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019).

[5][7][8] Awkwafina grew up in Forest Hills, Queens, and attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, where she played the trumpet and was trained in classical music and jazz.

[14] She cited Charles Bukowski, Anaïs Nin, Joan Didion, Tom Waits, and Chet Baker as early influences.

In 2016, she collaborated with comedian Margaret Cho on "Green Tea", a song that pokes fun at Asian stereotypes.

[30] Awkwafina hosted the short-form talk show web series Tawk for the digital production company Astronauts Wanted from 2015 to 2017.

[32] In 2016 she played a supporting role as Christine, a member of Kappa Nu in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising,[33][34] and voiced Quail in the animated comedy film Storks.

[44][45] In July 2019, Awkwafina was cast as Katy in Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings alongside actors Simu Liu and Tony Leung Chiu-wai.

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, the film was released in theaters on September 3, 2021, earning critical praise and grossing $430.5 million.

[49] Awkwafina improvised much of her dialogue for the film, drawing comparisons to Robin Williams' performance as the Genie in Aladdin.

As part of the promotional campaign, she recorded new announcements for the 7 train of the New York City Subway,[51] making jokes, such as "This is Hunters Point Avenue, a friendly reminder that seats are for people, not your bag" and "This is 46th Street, which is a lucky number, I just learned that on the internet.

[51] In a season one episode, Simu Liu made a guest appearance before the release of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

In October 2023, National Geographic announced that Awkwafina narrated the documentary series A Real Bug's Life.

"[60] On February 5, 2022, Awkwafina tweeted, "My immigrant background allowed me to carve an American identity [...] as a non-black POC, I stand by the fact that I will always listen and work tirelessly to understand the history and context of AAVE".

[65] On May 16, 2019, she headlined The Infatuation's annual food festival, EEEEEATSCON where she spoke about her upbringing in Queens, and her family's Cantonese restaurant.

Alongside the film's ensemble, she was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.