The history of glow bracelets stretches back into the beginnings of rave culture, which is generally used to describe the emergence of acid house parties in the early 1980s. Electronic dance music was popular at early raves, as it still is, with dubstep, drum and bass, techno, jungle and house music being popular. As this new music emerged in the 1980s, raves started to emerge and increase in popularity around Manchester and, subsequently, London. With up to 25,000 people attending these new acid house parties, a new trend had been born.

The term 'rave' was first used in the late 1980s to describe the emergent acid house subculture and the trend started to settle on its style both in terms of music and associated fashion. Bright, garish colours started to be worn, often with glow bracelets and other glowing accessories in order to add to the visual effect created by laser light shows and smoke generators. Glow bracelets grew hugely in popularity around this time, being seen as the perfect way to decorate and accessorise the new raver. In adding to the visual illusion created at rave parties, glow bracelets become extremely popular and started to sell in their millions.

Throughout the 1990s, the London-based underground youth movement ensured that rave culture continued to grow. One of the largest rave collectives, Exodus, gained a notorious reputation which thrust rave culture into the spotlight once again. As rave fashion continued to spread and grow, accessories such as glow bracelets became increasingly popular and started to permeate into other areas of society. Glow bracelets were no longer simply confined to rave and party culture, but were beginning to be seen in all walks of life. First of all, glow braceletes started to spread to different types of parties and nightclubs, before appearing at home parties, where they were worn as a symbol of rave culture (much like Che Guevara t-shirts are worn to make a political point). Glow bracelets soon became an off-shoot fashion trend in themselves, being worn in every day life and beginning to appear at different types of event. Popularly, glow bracelets can be found at firework displays or New Year parties, where the ambient lighting is normally low and the glowing effect can be fully enjoyed.

Glow bracelets have even been used for safety reasons, with night-time cyclists and walkers using the bracelets in order to increase both their night-time vision and their visibility to passing motorists. In addition to this, glow bracelets have been used on rescue missions following natural disasters where the ambient lighting is not sufficient and electrical or fire-based light is not practical or safe. With glow bracelets generating their own light energy for many hours, they have become the perfect tool for aiding search and rescue missions following natural disasters.

The journey of the humble glow bracelet from rave accessory to life-saving device has been a long and well-recognised one. Even today, glow bracelets are popular fashion accessories and have never lost their residual popularity which has its roots set firmly in rave culture. This iconic product is one which is now recognised and loved the world over, with an abundance of different uses being one of its most popular drawing points. Being completely disposable and very cost-effective, glow bracelets remain incredibly popular and look to continue to remain popular for a long time yet to come.