The original scream comes from Plants vs Zombies, the tower-defence game released by PopCap in 2009, where a drawn-out cry marks a losing moment for the player. As the game became a lasting meme source, editors began uploading louder, heavily distorted versions of its sounds to YouTube and soundboards, turning the cry into an earrape punchline for failed runs and dramatic edits. Its appeal has lasted because the sound is instantly recognisable even through the distortion, and it fits the same long no scream humour that runs through reaction memes and gaming clips today.