Laser melting technology was employed to enhance the surface of 304 stainless steel, aiming to improve its wear resistance. The morphology, microstructure, microhardness, wear morphologies, and wear mechanism of the resulting melting layer were comprehensively analyzed using optical microscopy, microhardness testing, friction and wear testing, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The results showed that the melting layer had no defects such as pores and cracks after laser melting, and the microstructure was uniform and dense. Due to the rapid heating and cooling process of laser melting, the microstructure of the melting layer was significantly refined, and the melting layer was mainly composed of dendrites and equiaxed crystals. Fine grain strengthening was the main factor for the hardness improvement of melting layer, and the microhardness of melting layer was about 281 HV, which was about 50% higher than that of 304 stainless steel substrate. With the increase of hardness, the friction coefficient and wear rate of the melted layer decreased to 0.544 and 2.46×10-5 (N·m), respectively. The wear mechanism of melting layer was abrasive wear. Laser melting effectively improved the microhardness and wear resistance of 304 stainless steel.