The rimshot comes from live comedy and vaudeville, where house drummers added a ba dum tss sting to underline a comedian's punchline and cue the audience to laugh. As stand up moved to radio, television and later online video, the sting became shorthand everyone recognised without seeing a drum kit. Short clips like this one spread on soundboards and in meme edits because they work instantly with no context. Creators pair it with other classic stings like dun dun dunnnnnnnn for mock serious reveals, but the rimshot stays the joke version.