[1] It was originally called mono-methylamine nitrate, a name that has largely stuck among chemists who formulate energetic materials.

The addition of the carbon-containing methyl group in methylammonium nitrate imparts better explosive properties and helps create a more favorable oxygen balance.

Methylammonium nitrate saw a resurgence when E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (DuPont), seeking to lower the cost of its TNT-based Tovex water-gel explosives, incorporated a mixture of methylammonium nitrate with ammonium nitrate which served as a basis for DuPont's water-gels manufactured under the names "Tovex Extra" and "Pourvex Extra".

In late 1973, DuPont started to phase out dynamite and replace it with water-gels based on PR-M.

On August 6, 1974, a tank car containing PR-M blew up in Wenatchee, Washington, rail yard, killing two and injuring 66 others.