EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine)
Virtual machine running smart contracts on Ethereum and compatible chains.
EVM: Ethereum execution environment. Every node runs identical copy. EVM-compatible chains (BSC, Polygon, Avalanche, Arbitrum, Optimism, Base): Solidity contracts work unchanged. Non-EVM: Solana, Cardano, Cosmos.
In plain words
EVM is the standard for running programs (smart contracts) on Ethereum. Other chains, like BSC, Polygon, Arbitrum, Base, also use it, so an app written once for Ethereum runs on them unchanged. Solana has its own standard and is not EVM-compatible.
Example
Uniswap on ETH works identically on Polygon, BSC, Arbitrum, Base, Optimism. Aave too. PancakeSwap (BSC Uniswap clone) works because BSC = EVM.
Also known as: EVM, Ethereum Virtual Machine