Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites was released in 2010 as the title track of Skrillex's second EP, at the moment American dubstep was breaking into the mainstream. Its mix of pretty melodic sections and aggressive bass drops became a signature early dubstep sound, and the shouted vocal hook made short excerpts instantly recognisable out of context. Clips from the track later spread across gaming videos, meme edits and soundboards, where this section is still used as shorthand for an over the top drop or a moment spiralling out of control quickly.