Phonk grew out of 1990s Memphis rap samples, chopped vocals and cowbell loops, then found a second life online through drift car videos and short form edits. The louder, distorted Brazilian and drift phonk styles pushed the sound even harder on TikTok, where creators compete to make the bass feel overwhelming. Clips labelled as loud phonk as hell lean into that joke, treating maximum volume as the punchline itself rather than just background music for a scene.