The drum roll has been used for centuries to signal an important announcement, from military ceremonies and circus ringmasters to vaudeville stages and television game shows. A performer would roll the snare while the audience waited for a daring stunt, a name or a result. That tradition carried easily to the internet, where short rolls are copied into edits, livestreams and memes in Spanish and English searches alike. Because everyone recognises the rising tension instantly, creators still use it as a universal cue that something is about to happen.