The contract for Emden, ordered as ersatz (replacement) SMS Pfeil, was placed on 6 April 1906 at the Kaiserliche Werft (Imperial Dockyard) in Danzig.
Her keel was laid down on 1 November 1906.
She was launched on 26 May 1908 and christened by the Oberbürgermeister (Lord Mayor) of the city of Emden, Dr. Leo Fürbringer.
After fitting-out work was completed by 10 July 1909, she was commissioned into the fleet.
The new cruiser began sea trials that day but interrupted them from 11 August to 5 September to participate in the annual autumn maneuvers of the main fleet.
During this period, Emden also escorted the imperial yacht Hohenzollern with Kaiser Wilhelm II aboard.
Emden was decommissioned in September after completing trials.

On 1 April 1910 Emden was reactivated and assigned to the Ostasiengeschwader (East Asia Squadron), based at Tsingtao in Germany's Kiautschou concession in China.
The concession had been seized in 1897 in retaliation for the murder of German nationals in the area.
Emden left Kiel on 12 April 1910, bound for Asia by way of a goodwill tour of South America.
A month later, on 12 May, she stopped in Montevideo and met with the cruiser Bremen, which was assigned to the Ostamerikanischen (East American) Station.
Emden and Bremen stayed in Buenos Aires from 17 to 30 May to represent Germany at the celebrations of the hundredth anniversary of Argentinian independence.
The two ships then rounded Cape Horn; Emden stopped in Valparaíso, Chile, while Bremen continued on to Peru.

The cruise across the Pacific was delayed because of a lack of good quality coal.
Emden eventually took on around 1,400 t (1,400 long tons; 1,500 short tons) of coal at the Chilean naval base at Talcahuano and departed on 24 June.
The cruise was used to evaluate the ship on long-distance voyages for use in future light cruiser designs.
Emden encountered unusually severe weather on the trip, which included a stop at Easter Island.
She anchored at Papeete, Tahiti to coal on 12 July, as the bunkers were nearly empty after crossing 4,200 nautical miles (7,800 km; 4,800 mi).
The ship then proceeded to Apia in German Samoa, arriving on 22 July.
There, she met the rest of the East Asia Squadron, commanded by Konteradmiral (Rear Admiral) Erich Gühler.
The squadron remained in Samoa until October, when the ships returned to their base at Tsingtao.
Emden was sent to the Yangtze River from 27 October to 19 November, which included a visit to Hankou.
The ship visited Nagasaki, Japan, before returning to Tsingtao on 22 December for an annual refit.
The repair work was not carried out; the Sokehs Rebellion erupted on Ponape in the Carolines, which required Emden's presence; she departed Tsingtao on 28 December, and Nürnberg left Hong Kong to join her.

The two cruisers reinforced German forces at Ponape, which included the old unprotected cruiser Cormoran.
The ships bombarded rebel positions and sent a landing force, which included men from the ships along with colonial police troops, ashore in mid-January 1911.
By the end of February the revolt had been suppressed, and on 26 February the unprotected cruiser Condor arrived to take over the German presence in the Carolines.
Emden and the other ships held a funeral the following day for those killed in the operation, before departing on 1 March for Tsingtao via Guam.
After arriving on 19 March, she began an annual overhaul.
In mid-1911, the ship went on a cruise to Japan, where she accidentally rammed a Japanese steamer during a typhoon.
The collision caused damage necessitating another trip to the drydock in Tsingtao.
She returned to the Yangtze to protect Europeans during the Chinese Revolution that broke out on 10 October.
In November, Vizeadmiral (Vice Admiral) Maximilian von Spee replaced Gühler as the commander of the East Asia Squadron.

At the end of the year, Emden won the Kaiser's Schießpreis (Shooting Prize) for excellent gunnery in the East Asia Squadron.
In early December, Emden steamed to Incheon to assist the grounded German steamer Deike Rickmers.
In May 1913, Korvettenkapitän (Lieutenant C
The contract for Emden, ordered as ersatz (replacement) SMS Pfeil, was placed on 6 April 1906 at the Kaiserliche Werft (Imperial Dockyard) in Danzig. Her keel was laid down on 1 November 1906. She was launched on 26 May 1908 and christened by the Oberbürgermeister (Lord Mayor) of the city of Emden, Dr. Leo Fürbringer. After fitting-out work was completed by 10 July 1909, she was commissioned into the fleet. The new cruiser began sea trials that day but interrupted them from 11 August to 5 September to participate in the annual autumn maneuvers of the main fleet. During this period, Emden also escorted the imperial yacht Hohenzollern with Kaiser Wilhelm II aboard. Emden was decommissioned in September after completing trials.
On 1 April 1910 Emden was reactivated and assigned to the Ostasiengeschwader (East Asia Squadron), based at Tsingtao in Germany's Kiautschou concession in China. The concession had been seized in 1897 in retaliation for the murder of German nationals in the area. Emden left Kiel on 12 April 1910, bound for Asia by way of a goodwill tour of South America. A month later, on 12 May, she stopped in Montevideo and met with the cruiser Bremen, which was assigned to the Ostamerikanischen (East American) Station. Emden and Bremen stayed in Buenos Aires from 17 to 30 May to represent Germany at the celebrations of the hundredth anniversary of Argentinian independence. The two ships then rounded Cape Horn; Emden stopped in Valparaíso, Chile, while Bremen continued on to Peru.
The cruise across the Pacific was delayed because of a lack of good quality coal. Emden eventually took on around 1,400 t (1,400 long tons; 1,500 short tons) of coal at the Chilean naval base at Talcahuano and departed on 24 June. The cruise was used to evaluate the ship on long-distance voyages for use in future light cruiser designs. Emden encountered unusually severe weather on the trip, which included a stop at Easter Island. She anchored at Papeete, Tahiti to coal on 12 July, as the bunkers were nearly empty after crossing 4,200 nautical miles (7,800 km; 4,800 mi). The ship then proceeded to Apia in German Samoa, arriving on 22 July. There, she met the rest of the East Asia Squadron, commanded by Konteradmiral (Rear Admiral) Erich Gühler. The squadron remained in Samoa until October, when the ships returned to their base at Tsingtao. Emden was sent to the Yangtze River from 27 October to 19 November, which included a visit to Hankou. The ship visited Nagasaki, Japan, before returning to Tsingtao on 22 December for an annual refit. The repair work was not carried out; the Sokehs Rebellion erupted on Ponape in the Carolines, which required Emden's presence; she departed Tsingtao on 28 December, and Nürnberg left Hong Kong to join her.
The two cruisers reinforced German forces at Ponape, which included the old unprotected cruiser Cormoran. The ships bombarded rebel positions and sent a landing force, which included men from the ships along with colonial police troops, ashore in mid-January 1911. By the end of February the revolt had been suppressed, and on 26 February the unprotected cruiser Condor arrived to take over the German presence in the Carolines. Emden and the other ships held a funeral the following day for those killed in the operation, before departing on 1 March for Tsingtao via Guam. After arriving on 19 March, she began an annual overhaul. In mid-1911, the ship went on a cruise to Japan, where she accidentally rammed a Japanese steamer during a typhoon. The collision caused damage necessitating another trip to the drydock in Tsingtao. She returned to the Yangtze to protect Europeans during the Chinese Revolution that broke out on 10 October. In November, Vizeadmiral (Vice Admiral) Maximilian von Spee replaced Gühler as the commander of the East Asia Squadron.
At the end of the year, Emden won the Kaiser's Schießpreis (Shooting Prize) for excellent gunnery in the East Asia Squadron. In early December, Emden steamed to Incheon to assist the grounded German steamer Deike Rickmers. In May 1913, Korvettenkapitän (Lieutenant C
SMS Emden