Dagenham East opened as a main line station in 1885 and was called Dagenham. The current station buildings date from the introduction of electric services in 1932 and of typical railway architectural style for the period, with little trace remaining of the station's Victorian origins. In 2006 the station was extensively refurbished by Metronet.
The station was the location of a post-war rail crash. The accident took place at around 7.30pm on 30 January 1958 and was a rear-end collision of two late-running trains. Conditions at Dagenham East station were foggy at the time. The accident occurred after one train had passed a signal indicating danger due to a driver error. Ten passengers were killed in the accident and 89 injured. An 18:35 train ploughed into the back of an 18:20 departure which demolished three carriages and derailed several others. The locomotive of the 18:35 train and leading carriage were derailed.