Nike Air Max is a shoe by the company Nike that was introduced in 1987 as the first example of Air Max-branded technologies. The Nike Air Max shoe uses a large air cushioning unit which is visible at the side of the midsole in most models. Especially sought after models include the 1987, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, and to an extent, 2003. The 1993 model was the first to have the fully visible heel Air unit that was visible in the back as well as on the sides, and the 1995 model was the first to feature visible forefoot Air.

The Beatles' song ‘Revolution' was used in a television commercial to promote the shoe. It was the first and only time that a song performed by the Beatles was used in a TV ad.

The cushioned shoe has been a popular clothing item among gabber music fans and the Dutch song Het land van ... by Lange Frans & Baas B states that Air Max won't ever go out of fashion in the Netherlands.

The shoes have always been high tech for their time so runners have always worn them, but they are equally valuable as a casual shoe. They are generally fairly comfortable and the designs and colors are very inspired in some cases. The 1995 model was extremely popular for a long time and saw many colorways introduced. It's popularity has waned but many people still love the shoe. Originally it was met with some skepticism due to its suede construction, high price tag and neon accent color. International collectors quickly came to love the shoe and eventually it became popular in the USA as well.

Different types of Air Max cushioning include ‘Air Max 2' which doesn't have the ‘holes' in the cushioning unit and is of high pressure, ‘Tube Air' which is visible in several small circles on the midsole of the shoe, ‘Total Air' which is basically just another word for full Air Max cushioning, ‘Tuned Air' which is a system of individual pods supposedly ‘tuned' to different areas of the foot. There was also 180 Air in the early 1990s which was visible through the bottom of the shoe (although smaller portions of Air units are visible through the bottom of many Air Max models) and another type of Air cushioning is the low profile and very responsive ‘Zoom Air'.

Air Max cushioning has been used in shoes for almost all sports by now including basketball, cross training, golf, casual shoes, sandals, tennis, etc; however the Nike Air Max is always a running shoe. An example of a basketball shoe would be ‘Air Max Uptempo'.