During the mid-to-late 2010s, influential YouTube gaming channels created short musical intros for their videos. These 5-10 second intros build energy, identify the creators, and hook the viewers. Similar to an overture or leitmotif, they condense mood and set the stage for the incoming content. Despite their widespread cultural significance, these intros have received little analytical attention. This project proposes a buildup-payoff model that describes the form and effect of YouTube gaming intros, 2010-2020. Similar to Nobile's teleological model for popular song (Nobile 2022), this model can be realized through a variety of standard musical parameters.

I selected signature intros from 6 creators (Table 1). Each intro is analyzed according to context, melody, harmony, beat, timbre, and texture to determine similarities, differences, and trends. I also compare the intros to their source compositions. The goal is to show shared traits and trends in effective YouTube intros that capture instant attention and procure a specific reaction from viewers. The buildup-payoff model highlights how brief sonic branding reinforces identity, draws viewers in, and builds anticipation.

My examples 1 and 2 show how the Thinknoodles intro excerpts the buildup to the highest energy portion of the source song. Examples 3-6 transcribe melodic lines and beat layers (Moore 2012) from the intros of PopularMMOs and Ali-A, showcasing melodic, rhythmic, timbral, and textural changes that mark the changes from buildup to payoff. In each example, the payoff is marked by contrasting pitches, thicker textures, new timbres, the beat drop, and drum pattern changes (Geary 2024).