The clip comes from Vine, where short reaction videos were shared and remixed long after the app faded. In this one, a speaker reacts to someone performing at an extreme level by saying they are on X Games mode, a reference to the extreme sports competition. The phrase caught on because it was easy to reuse over almost any impressive or reckless stunt. It later travelled to TikTok, YouTube edits and meme compilations, where it became shorthand for over-the-top skill or chaos, and it remains popular because the delivery is instantly recognisable even at just over a second long.