The sound comes from Jolly, a fan-made horror game series inspired by Five Nights at Freddy's and built around animatronic characters including Jolly the bee. Its scare moments use the same formula as a classic FNAF jumpscare scream, with the animatronic rushing the player accompanied by a loud distorted shriek. Clips from the games spread through YouTube playthroughs, TikTok edits and soundboards, and the isolated scream became a reusable meme effect. It remains popular because it signals an instant horror payoff without needing any visual context.