<p>Photochemistry in the undergraduate laboratory has undergone a substantial transformation over the past decade. For many years, high equipment costs and safety concerns limited hands-on experiments. Recently, three interconnected developments have reshaped the field. First, the democratization of tools via open-source hardware has occurred–for example, a two-week open-source photoreactor lab improved students’ self-reported ability to formulate hypotheses. Second, the curriculum now integrates sustainability and real-world relevance. Third, educators have adopted research-based pedagogical frameworks including Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs), computational chemistry, and flow chemistry. This review provides a critical synthesis of these converging developments, showing that they have collectively shifted photochemistry from a peripheral topic toward an increasingly experiential component of the undergraduate laboratory. By fostering authentic inquiry and equipping students with practical competencies, the contemporary photochemistry lab develops skills aligned with modern chemical practice. Importantly, this review prioritizes examples accessible across diverse institutional contexts, from well-resourced universities to teaching-focused colleges with limited infrastructure. Finally, emerging directions–including artificial intelligence tools and strengthened collaboration with industry–are discussed as opportunities for future evolution.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>