"Rage" has a reputation among viewers for its minimalist format which has remained largely unchanged since the program's inception. The program was originally created by executive producer Mark FitzGerald in early 1987 under the working title "rage til you puke". This was later shortened to "rage", as this was deemed more likely to be acceptable to the ABC board. It debuted in April 1987 – the same month as "MTV Australia" debuted as a late night program on the Nine Network and two months after "Video Hits" debuted on the Ten Network.