Pompeii is a 2013 hit by British band Bastille, built around its chanting eh-eh-o refrain and lyrics about ruins and closing your eyes. Emotional Damage became a viral catchphrase in 2021 through comedian Steven He's sketches, where his exaggerated delivery turned minor setbacks into a meme. Online editors later mashed the two together on TikTok and YouTube Shorts, using the grand chorus as a setup for the shout. The pairing stuck because both parts were already familiar, making the combined clip easy to reuse for fails, cringe moments and mock tragedies.