Rave is usually defined as an overnight dance event where DJs and other performers play rave music and electronic dance music. The term "rave" is referred to a rave party, because originally in the 1960s it was used as a slang expression by Caribbean people in London to describe a party. Later on the rave subculture grew out of the acid house movement that began in Chicago and New York and thrived in the United Kingdom club scene.

Ravers listen to their special rave music, dance rave dances, wear rave clothing and live in the rave style. Those in the rave movement adhere to the idea that if something makes someone really happy without hurting another person, then that something is OK.

There are several universally agreed general tenets of the rave culture. They are: not to judge, or condemn, or label other style of people's clothes, hair, makeup, sexual orientation, musical preference, race, age, gender, class or income. Not to convince anyone of the rightness or wrongness of most human activities.

Many young ravers wear distinctive rave clothing and wear things, commonly associated with the rave culture and club drug use. They usually wear lightweight, loose-fitting comfort clothes and layer dress. After hours of dancing and often after using MDMA - which elevates body temperature - many ravers remove most of their rave clothing. Many ravers wear loose shorts or very wide-legged or baggy pants. They also wear T-shirts, bikini, tank and tube tops, and open-back halter tops to help keep cool. Sometimes female ravers wear rave girl clothing, these can be costumes to rave events, dressing as princesses, cartoon characters, or other fantasy figures (futuristic, space or mystic) to match the theme of the party.

Most ravers put on bright accessories like bracelets, necklaces, and earrings made either of plastic beads or pill-shaped sugar candies. MDMA users sometimes wear the accessories to disguise their drugs (for example - stringing the tablets mixed with the candies). So as to neutralize the effects of involuntary teeth grinding caused by MDMA many ravers chew on baby pacifiers or lollipops. They wear pacifiers around their neck, often on plastic beaded necklaces.

Often people come to the rave events with various items to enhance the effects of MDMA. For this purpose ravers use bright chemical and flashing lights so as to increase the visual distortions and the hallucinogenic properties of MDMA. Bracelets, necklaces, and chemical glow sticks became the part of rave clothing commonly worn at raves to wave in the eyes of MDMA users for visual influence. Ravers often insert pin blinking lights in the shape of hearts, stars, and animals to their clothing and flashing red lights in their belly buttons (which they hold in place with a mild adhesive) to provide additional visual stimulation to MDMA users. Besides, ravers using MDMA often wear painter masks with menthol vapor rub inside the mask, because they believe that inhaling the menthol fumes enhance the effects of the drug. However, when doing that, they may be increasing the risk of hyperthermia, because the fumes dry out eyes and nasal passages.