Among various photochromic compounds, diarylethenes (DAEs) have been widely studied and applied due to their excellent thermal bistability and fatigue resistance. Most researches are focused on the properties and applications of DAEs in solution. However, they meet the problem of fluorescence quenching at high concentration or at solid state which limits their performance in the practical applications. Fortunately, the DAE based photochromic aggregation-induced emission (AIE) materials do well in addressing this problem. This work here reviews the current research progress on the structures, properties and applications of the DAE based photochromic AIE materials and points out some existing problems so as to promote subsequent development of this field in the future.