The cha-ching cash register noise has been shorthand for money in cartoons, adverts and comedy sketches for decades, long before short-form video. As editing apps and soundboards made short effects easy to drop into clips, this money version spread across TikTok, YouTube Shorts and meme edits as a universal cue for paying, earning or flexing wealth. Creators pair it with coin visuals, falling banknotes or a deadpan stare to sell the joke, and its short length means it fits reaction videos, haul reveals and business content without overstaying its welcome.