He was a cast member of the popular sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1990–1993. His tenure on the show gave Rock national exposure, but was rarely used on the show save for his recurring Nat X character. Rock was fired from SNL in the spring of 1993, as part of a regular cast turnover. Chris took the firing to concentrate on a film career. His 1996 stand-up special Bring the Pain reinvented Chris Rock as one of the hottest comedians in Hollywood. Frequent touring and HBO specials made Rock famous for edgy material on social and political issues, especially racism. “The single and video, "Champagne," became a staple on the playlist of MTV and other music video networks and radio stations.

In addition to acting, Rock has had three HBO comedy specials: “Bring the Pain” in 1996, “Bigger and Blacker” in 1999, and most recently, “Never Scared” in 2004. HBO also aired his talk show, “The Chris Rock Show”, which gained critical acclaim for Rock's interviews with famous celebrities. His specials and talk show established Rock as the preeminent stand-up comedian and comic minds of his generation. His television work has won him 3 Emmy Awards and 15 Nominations for his performing and writing. In 2004, Rock was named the 5th Greatest Stand-Up Comedian of All-Time by Comedy Central. His comedy typically involves race relations in the United States, although he devotes a large portion of his material to women too. In the fall of 2005, the UPN television network premiered a comedy series called “Everybody Hates Chris” based on Rock's school days.

On his 2004 HBO Special, “Never Scared”, he made comments regarding abortion stating, "When a woman gets pregnant it's a choice between a woman and her girlfriends. A woman gets pregnant, her and her girlfriends get together and they have a little abortion tribunal, and they vote on the baby like it's Survivor...and that's how life is decided in America." His comments drew fire from both Pro-Life and Pro-Choice groups. In early 2005, Rock hosted the 77th Academy Awards ceremony. The decision to have Rock host the awards was seen by some to bring an "edge" to the ceremony and to make it more relevant or appealing to younger audiences. Rock is firmly positioned as a multi-faceted force to contend with.