The manuscripts in this special issue cover both a wide conceptual range and a broad group of organisms. The common thread between studies is that they each investigate applied systems to broaden our understanding of either the ecological or genetic factors that influence adaptation. While many researchers are likely drawn to the study of pesticide resistance evolution for its perceived simplicity—e.g, there is a known agent of selection as well as (typically) a known biochemical and often simple genetic target of the pesticide—contributions in this special issue show that both the genetic and ecological context of resistance evolution remains to be deepened in important ways. For example, the population genomic approaches used in these papers provide increased resolution into the number and interactions of alleles involved in resistance, timescale-dependent signatures of selection, heterogeneity among populations in the control of resistance, and gene expression differences associated with both resistance and the mating system. Additionally, the work in this special issue also highlights that resistance evolution does not occur in a vacuum; while many examinations of resistance focus on the evolutionary trajectory of a single species exposed to pesticide, the overall adaptation and persistence of a population will concomitantly be influenced by, and likewise influence, other community members such as pollinators, herbivores and the microbial community. Ultimately, deepening the context of resistance evolution by both broadening our genetic toolkits and by assessing community dynamics will allow us to better understand how genetics and ecology are linked and how such linkages can then influence larger-scale ecosystem dynamics.