Air horns have long been used at sporting events, graduations, and celebrations where a loud, portable signal is needed without electricity. The compressed air version became a stadium staple alongside crowd cheering because it could be heard over thousands of people. Online, the short blast was clipped for soundboards and meme edits in the 2010s, where MLG and party edits turned it into a shorthand for hype and trolling. It remains popular because the tone is instantly recognizable and needs no context to land.