Earrape edits became a staple of early YouTube and gaming meme culture, where creators boosted game audio far beyond normal levels for comic shock value. Clips tagged as Black Ops earrape circulated on soundboards and in montage parodies because Call of Duty lobbies and gameplay were a shared reference for a generation of players. The format survived on TikTok and Discord as a quick prank sound, valued less for musical quality than for its instant, recognisable impact when dropped without warning into a quiet conversation or video.