The Top 10 Types of Edgeplay to Unleash Your Inner Kinkster

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Curious About Edgeplay?

Many people get into kink and BDSM as a way to get away from societal sexual norms. It lets you feel things with a partner that you never felt were possible and learn all sorts of new things about yourself.

After playing around in the culture for a while, some people want to go a little further. Or sometimes, these practices can be an entry point into the community when someone has a specific fetish.

Edgeplay is where you turn when you want to go deeper. But take a deep breath, and don’t dive in just yet.

What is edgeplay?

Quickly, here’s what edgeplay is not. It doesn’t mean playing with the edge of knives or swords. That’s called knife play. Edgeplay is different.

Edgeplay isn’t edging, either. Edging is denying yourself or your partner an orgasm to make the resulting orgasm stronger. An interesting topic, but not one for this article.

Edgeplay is broadly defined as a type of particularly risky kinky play. This usually means that it’s risky physically, but it could be emotionally dangerous as well.

There’s no real definition for what acts fall under the category of edgeplay. It can sometimes just mean things that people in the community think are super kinky. However, there are some acts that most people in the community agree upon, which we’ll discuss deeper soon.

A good way to think about it is that edgeplay acts fall outside of the “Safe Sane Consensual” framework that many people see as the foundation of BDSM.

Safe, Sane, and Consensual (SSC) vs. Risk Aware Consensual Kink (RACK)

To know what makes edgeplay different from other BDSM practices, you should know the difference between SSC and RACK.

Safe, Sane, and Consensual (SSC) is a pillar of the BDSM and kink communities. The first S for Safe means that all risks should be understood by participants and reduced as much as possible. This might involve avoiding the kidneys while flogging or using restraints that your partner can get out of during an emergency. Although it doesn’t necessarily mean both parties are completely safe, everything is done to make things safer. It also implies that you’re doing an activity that can be made virtually entirely safe by taking precautions.

Sane means that activities need to be approached realistically and sensibly. All parties involved should be able to separate the idea of the fantasy from the reality of the situation. This might mean using protection even if it doesn’t make sense during a roleplay scenario or using lube for anal even though you think it would be really hot not to.

Consensual means that every person is into the activity. This requires that they’re in the right mind to do consent, aka they’re not drunk, high, or otherwise impaired. An act is also not considered consensual if someone is coerced or forced to do it. Under SSC, consent can be revoked for any time, either for safety reasons or just because someone’s not feelin’ it.

This sounds like a pretty good outline for safe, kinky sex, and it’s still very widely used today. But recently, around 2000, some people proposed a new acronym: RACK.

These kinksters saw problems with the Safe, Sane, and Consensual model for a few reasons. First, they argued that nothing in life is 100% safe, especially kink. No matter what kind of play you’re engaging in, there are risks, however minimal. Also, someone might not want to mitigate these risks completely like we said above, or they might be practicing something where the risks are very present and can only be reduced somewhat. This might take them out of the scene, and since everyone is an adult, they can do what they want.

Another concern with SSC was that the idea of what’s “sane” is very subjective. It will depend on the person’s prior experience with kink and how far they’re willing to go. There are people who would think using a whip on someone is insane, and others who would think drinking someone’s blood during blood play is sane. This makes this facet of SSC less useful.

Lastly, some BDSM practitioners argue that Safe, Sane, Consensual serves to make BDSM more palatable to the vanilla world. People are less freaked out by kink when they know everyone is safe and it seems like there are rules people have to follow. However, some people in the community feel that SSC doesn’t accurately represent the BDSM community.

Therefore, they came up with the term RACK, which stands for Risk Aware Consensual Kink. The main distinction is being risk aware rather than safe. Being safe probably involves not doing fire play at all. Risk aware kink means that both parties negotiate before the scene and know what the consequences could be if things go south. RACK argues that they’re both adults and can make this decision for themselves.

RACK is a term that’s often used in conjunction with edgeplay, so they go hand in hand. There are more activities that are considered okay under RACK than there are under SSC. Let’s get to some examples of edgeplay.

10 types of edgeplay

1. Breathplay

Breathplay is sometimes called autoerotic asphyxiation. It’s done by intentionally restricting or cutting off someone’s air supply by choking or suffocating. It can be done alone or with a partner.

Like most items on this list, breathplay is never completely safe. It can lead to serious injury or death, and can have consequences to your health over time, like damage to the heart or larynx. 

However, practitioners will argue that there’s really nothing like the high of breathplay. Cutting off oxygen to your brain produces dopamine, which ups sexual pleasure and just generally makes you feel good. 

If you want to know more about breathplay, check out our overview.

2. Gunplay

Gunplay is one of the biggest taboos in BDSM, and it’s just what it sounds like: partners incorporate a gun into their sexual play.

Usually the gun is used as a phallic object, either going into a vagina, penetrating the anus, or being used to simulate a blowjob. However, it can also be used as a prop in a scene, like being held to someone’s head.

Usually, guns are unloaded during gunplay. However, extremely risky and kinky scenarios may involve a loaded gun.

Even playing with an unloaded gun this way is considered extremely unsafe. What if there’s a bullet in the chamber or someone forgot to unload it? 

Gunplay is the perfect example of RACK. There’s no way to practice it 100% safely (except using a fake gun), so partners need to assess their risks before beginning a scene.

3. Needle play

Play piercings are performed during sex by a partner, often as a punishment as a part of BDSM. The piercings generally aren’t kept in, but are just done for the sexual gratification of both or either party. They often go through the skin and come out the other side rather than going straight through the skin like a regular piercing.

Needle play can produce a natural endorphin high that can last for several hours and even induce orgasm. However, it’s risky to perform.

There are many parts of the body where piercing them could be a large issue, like your hands, wrists, or armpits. Also, since bleeding is involved, the partner doing the piercing could be at risk for catching bloodborne pathogens like hepatitis B, hepatitis C, or HIV. Lastly, if sterile equipment is not used, the sub might get an infection.

4. Electrical play

Electrostimulation involves receiving electric shocks for sexual pleasure. They can vary from tiny shocks from a handheld toy to wearing shock collars to using an electric shock machine for much stronger jolts. 

E-stim is considered edgeplay because many things can go wrong. If someone has a pacemaker or a heart condition they don’t know about, they could die. The partner being shocked also has to make sure they’re removing all of their jewelry, including piercings, and the dom needs to make sure that the shocking is happening in the right spot (below the belt is generally better). 

Electrical play really does produce a unique sensation, though. It can be arousing and serve as a perfect punishment in BDSM. If you have a puppy or kitty play fetish, an electric shock collar is the perfect fit.

Want a more in-depth discussion of electrostimulation? We’ve got an article for that.

5. Rape play or no safe word

Sometimes, a type of edgeplay might be more emotionally challenging than physically. This is the case with rape play.

Rape play is a very tenuous sexual fetish. It involves acting like you’re raping your partner. Sometimes this means having sex with no safeword, or it can mean a fake home invasion wearing a ski mask. 

Someone might think they want to engage in this sort of play until it’s actually happening. It definitely challenges the consensual parts of both Safe, Sane, and Consensual and Risk-Aware Consensual Kink.

Rape play can be emotionally damaging for both parties. One partner might have traumatic flashbacks to an event in their life, and the other partner might feel like a monster for being able to play this role. Engaging with this type of edgeplay requires a lot of trust, and in my humble opinion, this type of play (and honestly any type of kink) should NEVER be done without a safe word.

6. Knife play

Knife play involves playing with knives, swords, daggers, or other blades to get off. It can be a type of fearplay, where one partner holds the knife up to the other partner’s neck or threatens them with it. It’s sometimes used to make small scratches on the skin. However, some practitioners of knife play will make deep cuts, which often results in many scars all over the submissive’s body.

Knife play is obviously dangerous. If you cut too deep or in the wrong place, your partner could bleed out. Also, if the knife is not completely sterilized, the wound could get infected. Knife play should be practiced with extreme caution. 

7. Fire play

Fire play is sexual arousal from playing with fire, usually placing it near or on your or a lover’s skin. Usually, the arousal doesn’t come from the flame itself, but the danger, pain, or thrill it brings.

The dangers of playing with fire are obvious. Someone could be set on fire and burned, or it could even be possible to burn down a bed or building. That’s the reason fire play is on the edge of the kink community.

Of course, there are several ways to make fire play safer, like practicing on concrete floors instead of mattresses and having a fire extinguisher nearby. Still, no matter how careful you are, there are risks.

8. Blood play

Blood play is preeeetty taboo. While knife play is arousal from the blade and the feelings of cutting, blood play is about the presence of blood during sex. Knife play can be a part of blood play, though.

Sometimes just having blood present is enough to get things steamy, which usually involves making a cut on the sub’s skin. However, some people who are into blood play like to taste or even drink blood. This can involve the sub losing a decent amount of blood, and things can get out of control. There’s also the risk of bloodborne pathogens like with knife play.

It can be possible to practice blood play safely, but it’s looked down upon in many kink circles because of its stigma. Don’t try this without help from an expert. (We’ll help you find one later.)

9. Wax play

Wax play involves dripping or pouring wax onto the skin of your partner. The power dynamic is pretty sexy, and the sting on the skin can trigger endorphins like woah.

Although a lot of wax play is harmless if done correctly, wax play can result in serious burns if the wax is too hot. Also, if you’re not careful with the way you’re heating up the wax, you could cause a fire. Check out our article about how to practice wax play safely.

10. Whatever you think it is!

Under some definitions, edgeplay is just what you and your partner consider risky and out of the realm of Safe, Sane, and Consensual. This can vary from person to person. This might happen because different people have different emotional needs or physical abilities, or some people might just be more or less adventurous. 

What you consider edgeplay can also change over time. Once you get used to new sex practices, you might want to expand your types of play. This is perfectly normal!

If it’s so dangerous, why are people into edgeplay?

Well first, people are into edgeplay for the same reason that people are into anything sexually...they find it hot. Often fetishes seem weird to people who don’t have them, but that doesn’t have to be a value judgement. Sure, most people would find getting a gun put inside their vagina or drinking blood pretty gross and/or scary, but some people are into it. To each their own.

Practicing edgeplay also plays with the limits of socially acceptable sex. This can be appealing to kinksters who want to expand their horizons and try something new. They might view edgeplay as a subversive act against the cultural norms. You shouldn’t choose to do risky sex practices just to stick it to the man, but it’s a fun bonus!

But edgeplay can actually really strengthen a relationship. It can be a very intimate practice between a dom and a sub. When a sub literally puts their life in their dom’s hands, it can be very intense. There’s really no greater trust than that. This does mean, of course, that it’s a good idea to practice edgeplay with someone you know well. They don’t have to be a romantic partner, but the risks are greatly reduced if you’re having edgy sex with someone you know and trust.

Some things to consider

Take a deep breath. Before you get super into edgeplay, take a moment to ask yourself some questions. 

Why are you looking to get into edgeplay? Really think about it. It’s not a good idea to simply race into edgeplay because it’s taboo and you want to seem like the most enlightened kinkster in the room. Of course, you can do what you want, but it could blow up in your face later.

Some doms think that they can perform any type of kink, and some subs think they can take any kind of kink. That’s just not true. No one is aroused by everything. Don’t be afraid to set boundaries.

Edgeplay requires a lot of trust and should be done after lots of negotiation. There’s a reason you don’t see people who just met doing it at a BDSM club. You might need to get tested, buy equipment, or take classes before you embark on your journey.

Also, make sure you’re not getting pressured into edgeplay. You’re not unenlightened if you don’t want to try one of these practices. No one needs to do anything sexually that they don’t want to. In fact, I’d argue that if the idea of doing an edgeplay practice doesn’t actively arouse you, you probably shouldn’t do it. Why take the risk?

Should I get into it?

Edgeplay is serious business. Honestly, you shouldn’t go try one of the above practices right after you read this article. Like, seriously don’t.

Just Googling for a while and taking advice you find from random strangers on the internet isn’t a good idea, either. You’ll find conflicting advice online, especially on user curated spaces like Reddit or Youtube. Just because someone has done something without getting hurt doesn’t mean you won’t get hurt. People on the internet might not be experts in the type of play you’re looking to pursue. 

You should seek out training from an expert on your desired type of edgeplay. The best way to do this is to get involved in your local kink community. This will probably be more difficult depending on where you live, but it’s still doable.

Look for classes that are held by experts first. Ask your local sex shop and look at flyers that might be posted there. You can also take classes at conventions. Unfortunately, if you live in a smaller city, you might have to travel for a class or convention. But isn’t it worth it to have your kink fulfilled in a safe manner?

If taking an IRL class isn’t a possibility, look on FetLife to see if there’s an active presence of people in your area. Another option is to meet someone else who’s kinky through the site. They can hook you up with some of their kinky friends, and suddenly you have a whole network of people to help you learn what you want to learn. Your personal sexual Baby Yodas.

While you can find kinky people on virtually any dating app, there are some made specifically for kinksters. Try KinkD, Whiplr, or one of the other apps on this list.

If you’re not having luck in-person, a great option is Kink Academy. They have over 2,000 videos about different kinky practices, and they have experts that are available 24/7 to help. They have videos for fire play, electrical play, needle play, and wax play. You can check out some of their free videos before you buy, too!

Basically, please don’t try this at home without the proper knowledge. Kink can involve a positive type of hurt, but should never cause serious physical injury.

For the right people, edgeplay can be a profound way to connect and get off on a whole new level at the same time. No one should be shamed for what gets them off, as long as it’s between two consenting adults.

However, please remember that getting into edgeplay takes a lot of planning and preparation. Be safe out there!

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