A cymbal crash is a staple of drum kits and orchestral percussion, created when a drummer strikes a thin metal cymbal with a stick or brushes two cymbals together. The sound has long been used in music, theatre and comedy to mark endings, transitions and moments of surprise. Online, short isolated crashes became popular as reaction sounds and editing effects because they are instantly recognisable and easy to drop into a timeline. Their simplicity keeps them useful across memes, vlogs and live streams, where a single hit can underline a joke without explanation.