In recent years, porous graphene nanomaterials have attracted significant attention owing to their unique physical and chemical properties as well as their numerous potential applications in the fields of biology, materials, energy, and information technology. However, the synthesis of porous graphene usually requires high-temperature treatment or multistep chemical synthesis methods, making the process complicated. It is also challenging to form a patterned structure. In 2014, American researchers proposed laser-induced graphene （LIG） technology to achieve low-cost patterned porous graphene structures. LIG technology is a method that prepares three-dimensional porous graphene material by direct laser writing on a carbon precursor material using a laser in an ordinary atmospheric environment. This technology combines the preparation and patterning progress of three-dimensional graphene. It does not require traditional wet chemical steps, thus reducing the cost of production. Since its advent, LIG has stimulated researcher’s interest. Researchers have explored the LIG formation mechanism and its applications in various fields, such as energy, sensing, and environment. This study summarizes LIG’s various synthesis schemes, including controlling the LIG product quality, surface properties, electrical conductivity, and methods for converting different carbon precursors to LIG. Based on the characteristics of LIG, the application of LIG in supercapacitors, sensors, self-cleaning filters, triboelectric nanogenerators, and terahertz modulation devices has been investigated in recent years. Finally, this study prospects the development of LIG-based absorbing materials and metasurfaces.