The Final Countdown is a song by the Swedish rock band Europe, released in 1986. Its opening synthesizer riff became one of the most recognisable hooks in pop culture and later spread far beyond radio play into sports events, comedy edits and internet memes. Online, short clips of the song are used to create exaggerated suspense or a mock-heroic buildup before a reveal, entrance or collapse. That mix of nostalgia, instant recognition and over-the-top drama is why it still appears regularly in meme videos.