Short underwater scream clips circulate mainly as reaction sounds on meme and soundboard pages, where their appeal comes from the contrast between a serious scream and its silly, gurgling delivery. Creators reuse them to signal panic, defeat or drowning in a joke, often over gameplay, fails and edited skits. Because the clip is only about five seconds long, it works as a quick punchline rather than a full scene, and it pairs easily with visual gags involving water, falls or bad decisions. Its continued use rests on that instant readability: listeners recognise the panic immediately, even through the distortion.