Nonlinear metamaterials have received considerable attention in recent years. The inclusion of nonlinear and active effects in metamaterials expands the possibilities for engineering media with designer properties. We detail our recent efforts to create nonlinear and active metamaterials at RF with useful properties through the inclusion of embedded nonlinear or active elements. We demonstrate some of the possible applications of such nonlinear and active metamaterials experimentally, with properties including saturable absorption, phase conjugation, and power harvesting. © 2012 SPIE.