To study the rockburst mechanism and precursor feature, a servo-controlled true triaxial rockburst experimental system was used for the conducting of the rockburst experiment. Failure process of the entire experiment was captured by a high-speed camera and an acoustic emission system. Then, the macroscopic failure modes and microscopic fracture processes of rockburst and static failure were investigated; static failure is attributed to the extension of shear fracture, while rockburst is attributed to the mixed fracture with tensile-shear crack. Considering the energy dissipation state, the rockburst mechanism is attributed to the presence of excess energy in the unloaded rock unit. In addition, the crack evolution behavior of rockburst and static failure is revealed by the acoustic emission; it has been proven that rapidly decreasing tensile crack proportion is the most effective way to distinguish between static failure and rockburst. What’s more, the decreasing in tensile cracks cumulative proportion has been proved as a rockburst precursory response.