Originally a section of music used in a film or video (aka cue mark), ranging from a short piece of background music to a complex score. The specific parts of the music that correlate to the visual events are referred to as "cue points" or "hit points".

The term cue also refers to a visual or audible makers or signals. A visual cue may come from a conductor or band leader to direct or signal other musicians, or appear on sheet music (aka musical cue) to help ensemble musicians coordinate their playing. An audio cue could be any words, as in a lyric, or sounds, such as a particular part performed by a specific instrument. For the musician, a cue is often used to signal when to stop, start, or perform a particular rhythmic pattern or section within the music.