Flavor compounds of maize are important quality traits, and their flavor characteristics have attracted increasing attention. This paper reviews the research progress on the material basis of maize flavor characteristics, the evolution of analytical methods, regulatory mechanisms, and improvement technologies. It outlines the material composition of maize flavor (including volatile compounds such as alcohols, esters, and aldehydes, as well as non-volatile compounds), and the evolutionary process of flavor analytical methods, from traditional chromatography to high-throughput multi-technology integrated platforms including chromatography-mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), electronic nose, and spectral techniques. Additionally, the paper analyzes the effects of cultivation measures (e.g., fertilization regulation, water management, and temperature difference adjustment) on the synthesis and accumulation of flavor substances, along with the ‘variety-environment-management’ synergistic regulation model. It also elaborates on the application of metabolomics combined with multi-omics integration and biotechnologies like CRISPR in deciphering the metabolic mechanisms and regulatory networks of flavor formation, as well as the role of integrating these technologies with machine learning in flavor prediction, identification of key components, directional improvement, and intelligent breeding. It is pointed out that maize flavor is a comprehensive sensory phenotype resulting from the synergistic action of multiple components, and regulation of a single component can hardly achieve a qualitative leap in quality. It is concluded that the flavor stability of fresh edible maize is significantly restricted by the postharvest storage and processing chain, and there is still a lack of standardized evaluation systems in existing technologies. It is proposed that a full-dimensional database of maize flavor covering genotype, environment, cultivation, processing and sensory attributes should be established to promote the quantification, standardization and predictability of flavor traits. It is believed that the combination of multi-omics and gene editing is the core approach to decipher the functions of key flavor genes and realize targeted improvement, while artificial intelligence and synthetic biology will accelerate the precision breeding and industrial creation of high-quality flavor maize. Analysis shows that the four-in-one synergistic regulation of ‘variety-environment-management-processing’ can maximize the genetic potential of maize flavor, which is the inevitable way for the efficient industrialization of high-quality fresh edible maize in the future.