This paper reviews the classifications and basic mechanisms for radiation grafting monomers on a variety of backbone polymers, discusses several major influencing factors and methods for improving the grafting rate in the radiation-grafting system, and introduces recent research results including some novel additives and current applications of radiation grafting monomers on backbone polymers. The future research trends and applications of the methods of radiation grafting are delineated, and radiation grafting is thought as wide application perspective on radiation modification of polymers.