BME was started as a web site hosted at Internex Online on December 6, 1994, by Shannon Larratt and was the first body modification website.

Historically, the largest of these BBQs, known as BMEFest,[2] were held in or around Toronto, Ontario and generally on Canada Day with hundreds of participants.

The festivities of BMEFest almost always include suspensions, fireworks, grilled food both vegan and otherwise, and there is usually a commemorative T-shirt for each event.

[3] The BME site is blocked by many Internet filtering services intended to protect children (and workplaces), for reasons such as nudity, torture, and other adult content.

It was banned by Germany's Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien in 1999 as a "danger to the youth" because BME did not include age verification or an entrance page warning users of potential adult content.