Emergency Alert System tones were created for broadcast interruptions, using a distinctive digital header and attention signal so warnings could be recognised instantly on radio and television. Versions labelled by country spread through YouTube and soundboards as viewers collected the most intense examples and reused them outside real broadcasts. The Iran-labelled variant circulated as a meme sound because its sustained, urgent tone feels more dramatic than a normal notification. It is now used less as information and more as a punchline for danger, lockdowns and mock official announcements in short videos.