The exact origin of the Buku scream is not well documented, which is common for short clips passed around as WhatsApp audios and reposted across soundboards. Its short length and lack of context made it easy to forward, rename and reuse outside whatever moment it first came from. Over time it settled into meme use as a generic scream of shock, fear or exaggerated panic. It remains popular because a two second shout needs no explanation, transfers easily between chats and edits, and instantly signals an over the top reaction.