diff --git a/src/components/SearchBar.tsx b/src/components/SearchBar.tsx
index 28048e16..3e5f12bf 100644
--- a/src/components/SearchBar.tsx
+++ b/src/components/SearchBar.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import c from "classnames";
 import { useState } from "react";
 
-import { MWQuery } from "@/backend/metadata/types/mw";
 import { Flare } from "@/components/utils/Flare";
 
 import { Icon, Icons } from "./Icon";
@@ -9,22 +8,16 @@ import { TextInputControl } from "./text-inputs/TextInputControl";
 
 export interface SearchBarProps {
   placeholder?: string;
-  onChange: (value: MWQuery, force: boolean) => void;
+  onChange: (value: string, force: boolean) => void;
   onUnFocus: () => void;
-  value: MWQuery;
+  value: string;
 }
 
 export function SearchBarInput(props: SearchBarProps) {
   const [focused, setFocused] = useState(false);
 
   function setSearch(value: string) {
-    props.onChange(
-      {
-        ...props.value,
-        searchQuery: value,
-      },
-      false
-    );
+    props.onChange(value, false);
   }
 
   return (
@@ -59,7 +52,7 @@ export function SearchBarInput(props: SearchBarProps) {
           }}
           onFocus={() => setFocused(true)}
           onChange={(val) => setSearch(val)}
-          value={props.value.searchQuery}
+          value={props.value}
           className="w-full flex-1 bg-transparent px-4 py-4 pl-12 text-search-text placeholder-search-placeholder focus:outline-none sm:py-4 sm:pr-2"
           placeholder={props.placeholder}
         />
diff --git a/src/hooks/useQueryParams.ts b/src/hooks/useQueryParams.ts
index 9be49a8c..8630c8a3 100644
--- a/src/hooks/useQueryParams.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/useQueryParams.ts
@@ -5,13 +5,12 @@ export function useQueryParams() {
   const loc = useLocation();
 
   const queryParams = useMemo(() => {
-    // Basic absolutely-not-fool-proof URL query param parser
     const obj: Record<string, string> = Object.fromEntries(
       new URLSearchParams(loc.search).entries()
     );
 
     return obj;
-  }, [loc]);
+  }, [loc.search]);
 
   return queryParams;
 }
diff --git a/src/hooks/useSearchQuery.ts b/src/hooks/useSearchQuery.ts
index fe2b451e..ca60f70f 100644
--- a/src/hooks/useSearchQuery.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/useSearchQuery.ts
@@ -1,54 +1,35 @@
-import { useState } from "react";
+import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
 import { generatePath, useHistory, useParams } from "react-router-dom";
 
-import { MWQuery } from "@/backend/metadata/types/mw";
-import { useQueryParams } from "@/hooks/useQueryParams";
-
-function getInitialValue(
-  query: Record<string, string>,
-  params: Record<string, string>
-) {
-  let searchQuery = decodeURIComponent(params.query || "");
-  if (query.q) searchQuery = query.q;
-  return { searchQuery };
-}
-
 export function useSearchQuery(): [
-  MWQuery,
-  (inp: Partial<MWQuery>, force: boolean) => void,
+  string,
+  (inp: string, force?: boolean) => void,
   () => void
 ] {
   const history = useHistory();
-  const query = useQueryParams();
   const params = useParams<{ query: string }>();
-  const [search, setSearch] = useState<MWQuery>(getInitialValue(query, params));
+  const [search, setSearch] = useState(params.query ?? "");
 
-  const updateParams = (inp: Partial<MWQuery>, force: boolean) => {
-    const copySearch = { ...search };
-    Object.assign(copySearch, inp);
-    setSearch(copySearch);
-    if (!force) return;
-    if (copySearch.searchQuery.length === 0) {
+  useEffect(() => {
+    setSearch(params.query ?? "");
+  }, [params.query]);
+
+  const updateParams = (inp: string, commitToUrl = false) => {
+    setSearch(inp);
+    if (!commitToUrl) return;
+    if (inp.length === 0) {
       history.replace("/");
       return;
     }
     history.replace(
       generatePath("/browse/:query", {
-        query: copySearch.searchQuery,
+        query: inp,
       })
     );
   };
 
   const onUnFocus = () => {
-    if (search.searchQuery.length === 0) {
-      history.replace("/");
-      return;
-    }
-    history.replace(
-      generatePath("/browse/:query", {
-        query: search.searchQuery,
-      })
-    );
+    updateParams(search, true);
   };
 
   return [search, updateParams, onUnFocus];
diff --git a/src/pages/HomePage.tsx b/src/pages/HomePage.tsx
index a2b54afd..672cfbda 100644
--- a/src/pages/HomePage.tsx
+++ b/src/pages/HomePage.tsx
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
 import { Helmet } from "react-helmet";
 import { useTranslation } from "react-i18next";
 
-import { MWQuery } from "@/backend/metadata/types/mw";
 import { WideContainer } from "@/components/layout/WideContainer";
 import { useDebounce } from "@/hooks/useDebounce";
 import { useSearchQuery } from "@/hooks/useSearchQuery";
@@ -13,14 +12,14 @@ import { WatchingPart } from "@/pages/parts/home/WatchingPart";
 import { SearchListPart } from "@/pages/parts/search/SearchListPart";
 import { SearchLoadingPart } from "@/pages/parts/search/SearchLoadingPart";
 
-function useSearch(search: MWQuery) {
+function useSearch(search: string) {
   const [searching, setSearching] = useState<boolean>(false);
   const [loading, setLoading] = useState<boolean>(false);
 
-  const debouncedSearch = useDebounce<MWQuery>(search, 500);
+  const debouncedSearch = useDebounce<string>(search, 500);
   useEffect(() => {
-    setSearching(search.searchQuery !== "");
-    setLoading(search.searchQuery !== "");
+    setSearching(search !== "");
+    setLoading(search !== "");
   }, [search]);
   useEffect(() => {
     setLoading(false);
diff --git a/src/pages/parts/search/SearchListPart.tsx b/src/pages/parts/search/SearchListPart.tsx
index 9d39805c..5935c517 100644
--- a/src/pages/parts/search/SearchListPart.tsx
+++ b/src/pages/parts/search/SearchListPart.tsx
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ function SearchSuffix(props: { failed?: boolean; results?: number }) {
   );
 }
 
-export function SearchListPart({ searchQuery }: { searchQuery: MWQuery }) {
+export function SearchListPart({ searchQuery }: { searchQuery: string }) {
   const { t } = useTranslation();
 
   const [results, setResults] = useState<MWMediaMeta[]>([]);
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ export function SearchListPart({ searchQuery }: { searchQuery: MWQuery }) {
       setResults(searchResults);
     }
 
-    if (searchQuery.searchQuery !== "") runSearch(searchQuery);
+    if (searchQuery !== "") runSearch({ searchQuery });
   }, [searchQuery, runSearchQuery]);
 
   if (loading) return <SearchLoadingPart />;