The concept of brand activism has recently emerged as a distinct phenomenon, garnering increasing scholarly interest. However, research in this area is still in its infancy, characterized by fragmented studies and a lack of cohesive theoretical frameworks. This review aims to analyze the prevailing research patterns in brand activism by classifying the essential attributes of publications. Using specified search criteria, the Scopus database was used to find, extract, select, and review relevant publications from 1984 to 2025. In the search, 259 publications were selected for this study after application of the exclusion and inclusion criteria. This bibliometric analysis is based on performance analysis and science mapping. The results reveal the most influential papers, authors, journals, and nations in this study area. The findings suggest that brand activism research is multidisciplinary, encompassing business ethics, psychology, public policy, management, and marketing. The study identified six thematic clusters: Corporate Political Advocacy and Institutional Change; Consumer Ethical Responses and Brand-Directed Activism; Societal Impact of Brand Activism; Market–Society Tensions in Brand Activism; Moral Emotional Responses to Brand Activism; Authenticity, Credibility, and Competitive Outcomes of Brand Advocacy. These themes highlight their applications, ranging from directing corporate political advocacy and stakeholder alignment on socio-political issues to enhancing authenticity, credibility, and the competitive outcomes of brand activism. The implications of this research emphasize brand activism as a strategic approach that links corporate values to societal requirements to create social change in an increasingly polarized marketplace. This study is novel in presenting a comprehensive bibliometric and science-mapping of brand activism research to date, providing key takeaways, outlining future research directions, and motivating scholars to explore this phenomenon further.