Sonic.exe comes from a 2011 creepypasta story about a haunted Sonic game with a demonic version of the character, which later inspired fan games and countless horror edits online. The scream became a reusable shorthand for that corrupted Sonic idea, shared on soundboards and in videos separate from the original story. It remains popular because the sound is short, instantly recognisable to horror and gaming fans, and works as a jump scare even without showing the character on screen.