A sound bounces off walls, ceilings, and floors thousands of times, each reflection layering on top of the original — this pattern of reflections is called an "impulse response." Convolution reverb records a short click in a real space (a cathedral, a bathroom, a concert hall) and mathematically convolves that recorded decay with any other sound to make it seem to ring in that same space. The Web Audio API's ConvolverNode does this math, and without a real recording you can synthesize an impulse response from exponentially decaying white noise instead.
A longer reverb time (RT60, time to decay -60dB) reads as "cathedral," a shorter one as "small room." Adding reverb to a UI sound makes it feel premium and spacious, but overdo it and it smears into the next sound, hurting clarity — so notification sounds that need to communicate fast should use little to none, or keep RT60 under 0.3s. The key is mixing dry (original) and wet (reverb) signal so it never overwhelms.
Used to create a sense of space in music production, to switch between indoor/outdoor game ambience, and to give brand sounds a polished finish.
When to use
Reach for it when you want a sense of space or polish. Keep it minimal or skip it for notifications that need to communicate fast.