The station went on the air as WAIX on August 19, 1994. On June 1, 1995, it changed its call sign to WAZU, and in August 1996 to the current WAXL.[3]
In November 2023, WAXL announced that it would hold a Christmas music stunt for the holiday season from November 23 to December 25 as Jolly FM—one notably distinguished by the station being licensed to Santa Claus, Indiana.[4]