The rimshot sting comes from live comedy and vaudeville, where house drummers punctuated comedians punchlines for the audience. The ba-dum tss pattern became a stock cue in television sitcoms, cartoons and late night shows, then moved to soundboards and meme editors as a shorthand for a corny joke. Online it survives because everyone recognises the rhythm instantly without needing context, making it ideal for dad jokes, puns and deliberately awkward humour shared in short clips and group chats with friends and family daily.