Friday Night Funkin' is a rhythm game released in 2020 where Boyfriend battles opponents in sing-offs, and its simple vocal beeps and yelps became widely remixed by fans. The Soft version reimagines the cast with a gentler art style and softer voices, which is where this muted scream style comes from. Fans clipped Boyfriend's panicked sounds for mods, animations and meme edits, and the short scream spread as a reusable reaction for fails and surprises in FNF videos.