Paimon is the travelling companion who guides the player through Genshin Impact, and this scream comes from her reaction during the game's Sumeru main story quest. Clips from that quest were shared widely by players and editors, who began lifting the short scream out of context for reaction videos, TikTok edits and Genshin memes. Its appeal has lasted because it is short, instantly recognisable and easy to drop over almost any surprise, making it a handy shorthand for panic among Genshin fans.