Helicenes are polyaromatic compounds, composed of orthofused benzene rings, which are known for their unusual, screwlike structure. Notably, the stereogenic element of helicenes is the sp -hybridised backbone, leading to a co-localisation of helical chirality and polyaromatic structure that results in many intriguing properties and, ultimately, in the establishment of helicenes as a prominent compound class within chiral materials research. Of particular interest are the chiroptical properties of helicenes, which can show strong dissymmetries in the absorption (circular dichroism, CD) or emission (circularly polarised luminescence, CPL) of circularly polarised (CP) light due to the integration of aromatic chromophores within the helical framework. Due to these properties, helicenes have been used in applications for both the emission (CP-OLEDs) and detection of CP light. In addition to these highly dissymmetric chiroptical properties, helicenes are often observed to have high charge transport capabilities due to their conjugated structure. This allows for the use of helicenes as semiconductors in perovskite solar cells, a humidity sensor, or OFETs, amongst other applications. But perhaps the most intriguing application is the potential use of helicenes as spin-filters in devices. As chiral molecules, helicene enantiomers may be able to achieve spin-selective electron transport, also known as the chiral induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect. This opens up the potential for helicenes to be used in a variety of 'spintronics' devices such as magnetic RAM and Hall effect sensors. These examples discussed so far demonstrate the flourishing landscape of helicene research and provide a strong basis for continued investigations of these intriguing molecules.