[2] Opened in 1921 as a grand movie palace and vaudeville live performance venue, the theater was known as the Macomb Theatre until 1987, when it went through a series of name, use and ownership changes.

[4] One of the first grand movie palaces in the metropolitan Detroit area, the historic theater is the largest venue of its type in Macomb County.

[7] The newly renovated venue opened its doors on April 13, 2013, with a sold out jazz concert featuring Grammy award winners and nominees Gerald Albright, Norman Brown and Alex Bugnon, followed by the Grammy award-winning comedy duo Cheech & Chong on April 21, 2013, but it closed after a short run in 2014 as a result of a falling out between the partners.

[8][9][10] New owners purchased the property in February 2016, and after further restoration and repairs including a new marquee, redesigned Rock Room bar, and a revival of the Emerald Theatre name, the venue reopened in December 2016, once again hosting live concerts, corporate, wedding and other private and entertainment events.

[12][13] Other artist performances at the venue include, among others, Uncle Kracker, Funkadelic, Vince Neil, Mike Posner, The Cult, The Insane Clown Posse, Styx, The Psychedelic Furs, Motörhead, Pearl Jam, and Michael Bolton.