Pain is an unpleasant feeling and emotional experience related to actual or potential tissue damage. Active aldehyde, as a trigger and product of oxidative stress, is one of the important factors to mediate the occurrence and development of pain. Researches have found that aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2), a rate‑limiting enzyme of ethanol metabolism, plays a key role in clearing active aldehyde in body. It is a promising target for the treatment and regulation of pain. In this review, we focus on the diverse pathways in which the reactive aldehydes induce or exacerbate pain symptoms, and further discuss the underlying mechanisms by which ALDH2 regulates the occurrence of pain, in order to provide a possible pathway for individualized pain treatment in clinical practice.