Photocathode electron sources play a crucial role in advanced accelerator facilities. Recent advancements in electron accelerator facilities have continually pushed the parameter boundaries of electron sources, which in turn necessitate photocathode drive lasers that possess high power, high stability, and the ability to control spatiotemporal distributions. For such a purpose, lots of efforts have been made to achieve high-quality amplification, harmonic generation, and spatiotemporal shaping of the drive laser systems. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the primary technological approaches and status of drive lasers for high-brightness electron sources worldwide. Analysis of representative drive laser schemes and discussion on the future trends are also included, aiming to provide a helpful reference for planning and developing high-performance photocathode drive laser system.