The rimshot comes from vaudeville and early stand-up comedy, where a house drummer would accent a comedian's punchline with a snare and cymbal hit to cue laughter. It became a stock sound in radio, television variety shows and cartoons, and the spoken name ba dum tss imitates its rhythm. Online, the clip spread through meme videos, soundboards and short-form edits as a universal shorthand for a bad joke, keeping the old club routine alive in streams, Discord calls and comedy compilations.