Jonathon Gates has been building a community for Black comedians in Boston since the ’90s, and officially with The Black Comedy Explosion since 2000. A Wednesday night stand-up showcase, it has had a few homes over the years, and moved in 2024 to the 165-seat Carver Den in Dorchester Center. What hasn’t changed is Gates, who books national headliners for the shows, and gives local up-and-comers a chance to see how it’s done.

Since 1997, Improv Asylum has produced one of the area’s most reliably funny shows, now in its 200-seat North End black box theater. Its Main Stage show is the heavy hitter, running Thursdays through Saturday, but there’s a variety of other casts and specialty shows for adults, plus family-friendly shows — “rated PG-13,” the club says — on weekends.

At 300 seats, Laugh Boston is the biggest dedicated comedy club in Boston. It books a variety of touring and local acts, mostly stand-up but also some improv and podcast tapings, and is busy all week, but especially on the weekend. You can see some top local headliners, such as Will Noonan, and bigger names from further afield, like former Saturday Night Live cast member Tim Meadows and Cash Cab host Ben Bailey.

This Saturday-night showcase — in a walk-down basement of the Dugout Cafe on the Boston University campus — is about as intimate as it gets. The room holds roughly 35 people, and the comics walk through the crowd to get to the stage area. It feels like a secret clubhouse in the back room of an Allston bar.

The Rockwell’s basement black-box space in Somerville, with close to 200 seats, has been the site of several comedy-friendly venues over the years, including Jimmy Tingle’s Off Broadway Theater. New artistic director Deby Xiadani keeps that tradition going with her philosophy of “Funny. Dark. Smart. Great.” She books offbeat comedy, theater, and music acts in the space with emphasis on the funny. It’s where you’ll find one-person shows, theme nights, and indie musicians.

This 49-seat theater has a variety of comedy programming, leaning a bit toward improv and sketch. It has regular shows, such as the weekly Saturday night ComedySportz competition, Queer Comedy Night (third Fridays of the month), and Riot Improv (first and third Saturdays), as well as classes and workshops. Find a cozy, friendly space that puts an emphasis on promoting diverse voices.