[12] The founding members of Unicorn Riot met while filming direct actions in support of Tar Sands Blockade and Occupy Wall Street.

[4][6] Unicorn Riot claims to seek to "amplify the voices of people from marginalized communities" and to broadcast and bring context to stories that are not picked up by the mainstream media.

[13] In 2022, Unicorn Riot was classified as a member of the news media by Minnesota's Fourth District Court as part of Energy Transfer LP v. Greenpeace International.

[14] In Denver, Colorado, Unicorn Riot live streamed the removal of homeless encampments, including an eviction that took place during a blizzard on the morning of December 15, 2015.

[6] During the protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline, Unicorn Riot was one of the first media groups to be present when Standing Rock Sioux tribe members set up the Sacred Stone Camp on April 1, 2016.

[13] Unicorn Riot had documented several of the chat rooms in the Discord application prior to the Unite the Right rally in August 2017, which led to violence between alt right groups and counter-protesters, including the death of one person.

[17][18] Unicorn Riot produced a feature-length documentary film about the resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline entitled Black Snake Killaz: A #NoDAPL Story.

[20] Several members were doxed, and the group was rebranded American Identity Movement (AIM), as part of a public relations effort to avoid scrutiny.

[21] Unicorn Riot livestreamed the "Ende Gelände" direct action protests in Germany, whose aim is to shut down brown coal fossil fuel infrastructure in North Rhine-Westphalia.

[24] The Guardian reported on 28 January 2022 that more than 400 gigabytes of private Patriot Front chat logs on RocketChat had been obtained and published by Unicorn Riot.