The airhorn itself comes from the compressed-air horns used at sporting events and celebrations to grab attention over a crowd. Online, the blast became a staple of meme editing in the 2010s, especially through the MLG air horn trend, where it punctuated impressive plays, jokes and dramatic reveals in gaming videos. Its instant loudness made it an easy shorthand for hype, and creators still drop it into TikTok edits, prank clips and reaction videos today because audiences recognise the sound immediately and know something big or funny is about to happen.