The line builds on a long-running joke about non-player characters in video games, who often loop cheerful generic responses regardless of what the player does. Online, that stiff delivery became shorthand for someone acting scripted or checked out, especially as NPC impressions spread across short-form video and gaming edits. Creators began lifting the flat wow that's so cool reaction as a standalone sound for sarcastic replies. It stayed popular because it works without context, instantly turning praise into a joke about how unimpressive something really is.