Greg Macolino, a former Long Branch history teacher and former lead singer of hardcore band Chronic Sick, opened the Brighton Bar as a punk music venue in 1996.

Jon Bon Jovi, the Damned, the Dictators, the Dickies, Fountains of Wayne, Gene Loves Jezebel, Jacko Monahan, Fear of Falling, Bruce Springsteen, Hubert Sumlin, Three Doors Down, and Bernie Worrell have also performed on the Brighton's stage.

It was one of the most recent incarnations of New Jersey's legendary punk venues, outliving the Dirt Club, the Pipeline in Newark, and Asbury Park's Fast Lane.

The interior of the club features a mural, painted by Dave DeSantes, that pays tribute to all the legendary bands that have performed at the venue.

The club helped launch the careers of The Damned, Godspeed, Monster Magnet, Vice Squad, and The Misfits and has been called the "CBGBs of the South.