diff --git a/res/css/views/rooms/_EventTile.scss b/res/css/views/rooms/_EventTile.scss
index abbe53d0b2..0d927e9903 100644
--- a/res/css/views/rooms/_EventTile.scss
+++ b/res/css/views/rooms/_EventTile.scss
@@ -1071,15 +1071,25 @@ $left-gutter: 64px;
         // Override :not([data-layout="bubble"])
         &[data-layout=group] {
             --MatrixChat_useCompactLayout_group-padding-top: $spacing-4;
+            --MatrixChat_useCompactLayout-top-avatar: 2px;
+            --MatrixChat_useCompactLayout-top-e2eIcon: 3px;
+            --MatrixChat_useCompactLayout_line-spacing-block: 0px;
 
             padding-top: var(--MatrixChat_useCompactLayout_group-padding-top);
 
+            .mx_EventTile_line,
+            .mx_EventTile_reply {
+                padding-block: var(--MatrixChat_useCompactLayout_line-spacing-block);
+            }
+
             &.mx_EventTile_info {
                 padding-top: 0; // same as the padding for non-compact .mx_EventTile.mx_EventTile_info
                 font-size: $font-13px;
 
+                .mx_EventTile_e2eIcon,
                 .mx_EventTile_avatar {
-                    top: $spacing-4;
+                    top: 0;
+                    margin-block: var(--MatrixChat_useCompactLayout_line-spacing-block);
                 }
 
                 .mx_EventTile_line,
@@ -1091,39 +1101,34 @@ $left-gutter: 64px;
             &.mx_EventTile_emote {
                 padding-top: $spacing-8; // add a bit more space for emotes so that avatars don't collide
 
-                &.mx_EventTile_continuation {
-                    padding-top: 0;
-
-                    .mx_EventTile_line,
-                    .mx_EventTile_reply {
-                        padding-top: 0;
-                        padding-bottom: 0;
-                    }
-                }
-
                 .mx_EventTile_avatar {
-                    top: 2px;
+                    top: var(--MatrixChat_useCompactLayout-top-avatar);
                 }
 
                 .mx_EventTile_line,
                 .mx_EventTile_reply {
-                    padding-top: 0;
                     padding-bottom: 1px;
                 }
+
+                &.mx_EventTile_continuation {
+                    .mx_EventTile_line,
+                    .mx_EventTile_reply {
+                        padding-bottom: var(--MatrixChat_useCompactLayout_line-spacing-block);
+                    }
+                }
             }
 
-            .mx_EventTile_avatar {
-                top: 2px;
+            // Cascading - apply zero padding to every element including mx_EventTile_emote
+            &.mx_EventTile_continuation {
+                padding-top: var(--MatrixChat_useCompactLayout_line-spacing-block);
             }
 
-            .mx_EventTile_line,
-            .mx_EventTile_reply {
-                padding-top: 0;
-                padding-bottom: 0;
+            .mx_EventTile_avatar {
+                top: var(--MatrixChat_useCompactLayout-top-avatar);
             }
 
             .mx_EventTile_e2eIcon {
-                top: 3px;
+                top: var(--MatrixChat_useCompactLayout-top-e2eIcon);
             }
 
             .mx_DisambiguatedProfile {