The drum roll has been a showmanship staple for well over a century in circuses, vaudeville and theatre, where a snare roll built anticipation for acrobats, magicians and award announcements. The phrase drum roll please later became a stock cue in television and radio, and the sound moved easily to online video as a universal shorthand for suspense. It sits alongside other suspense stings like the dun dun dunnnnnnnn effect, but stays lighter and more playful. Creators still use it because audiences instantly understand the pause it creates.