Michael Jackson developed the hee hee as one of his signature vocal ad-libs, using short, high-pitched exclamations alongside grunts, hiccups and ow sounds across his solo recordings from the late 1970s and 1980s onward. The mannerism became inseparable from his image during the Thriller and Bad eras, when his music videos and live performances reached a global audience. As short-form video and soundboards grew, fans isolated the vocalisation into a standalone clip, turning a familiar pop detail into a quick meme cue for impressions, dance jokes and nostalgic edits.