To elucidate the characteristics and mechanism of electromagnetic radiation in granite under impact loading, based on the quasi-static compression tests, this paper conducts dynamic compression experiments on granite using Hopkinson pressure bar and one-stage light-gas gun as loading methods. Combined with experimental and theoretical analyses, the relationship between mechanical and electromagnetic responses under impact loads of different intensities, and the time-domain signals of electromagnetic radiation generated by a single crack under different strain rates are studied. The intensity and frequency of electromagnetic radiation increase with the increasing compressive strain rate. According to the thermal activation theory, it reveals the microscopic mechanism of the transition from intergranular microcracks to transgranular microcracks in terms of strain sensitivity. It also serves as the physical basis for the increase in electromagnetic radiation intensity amplitude and frequency with increasing compressive strain rate. Transgranular microcracks are the primary cause of electromagnetic radiation generated by fractures.