Glenn Roeder stuck with the same eleven that had started in the 2-1 win at home to Celta Vigo, with £5million striker Obafemi Martins left on the bench.
The game got off to a bright start, with the home side needing a victory to keep alive their hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the competition.
Defensive duo Steven Taylor and Titus Bramble made solid blocks seconds after one another to thwart Frankfurt's best early attack, with Shay Given going untroubled in the United goal.
After 25 minutes Given was tested and did superbly to block Albert Streit's close-range header with his legs, following an excellent ball in from the right from Markus Weissenberger.
Soon after Marko Rehmer wasted a good chance, before Ioannis Amanatidis flashed a shot just over the crossbar as the home side began to dominate.
The latter stages of the first half were broken up by a number of bookings, before Emre whipped a 20-yard free-kick a yard wide of the near post from the right edge of the penalty area.
Soon after the restart the home side should have forged in front, as Naohiro Takahara found space to curl in a cross from the right.
However, both Amanatidis and Streit failed to make contact from close range in front of the exposed Given.
Just before the hour the ineffective Albert Luque was replaced by Martins and he immediately crossed for Antoine Sibierski to go close with a header from eight yards.
Amanatidis twice tested Given with low shots as time ticked away for the German hosts, before Newcastle missed a chance to grab a winner ten minutes from time.
Emre raced through only to be denied by keeper Markus Proll, before Charles N'Zogbia sliced the rebound high over the bar.
Five minutes later Frankfurt spurned their best opening of the game as Takahara broke the offside trap, but lofted his shot over both the advancing Given and the bar.