Formerly a quarterly publication, "The Rebel" first appeared in 1958 and received an All-American Honor Rating from the Associated Collegiate Press in 1962. Since then, it has developed into an award-winning annual arts and literary magazine, receiving nine Associated Collegiate Press Magazine Pacemaker awards and being named one of the three best literary magazines in the nation.

The Rebel is produced for and by the students of East Carolina University. The contents are copyrighted by the year of publication and the Rebel Edition Number. All rights revert to the individual writers and artists upon publication. Contents may not be reproduced by any means, nor stored in any information retrieval systems without the written permission of the writer or the artist. The Rebel is printed with non-state funds.