Plain meaning
Start with the shortest useful explanation before going deeper.
The planned rate at which new tokens are minted and distributed over time, typically defined in a project's tokenomics documentation. Emission schedules cover staking rewards, ecosystem incentives, and team/investor unlocks. SOL's emission schedule started at 8% annual inflation, decreasing 15% per year toward a long-term rate of 1.5%. High emissions relative to demand create sell pressure.