High-grade gliomas defined by histone 3 K27M driver mutations exhibit global loss of H3K27 trimethylation and reciprocal gain of H3K27 acetylation, respectively shaping repressive and active chromatin landscapes. We generated tumor-derived isogenic models bearing this mutation and show that it leads to pervasive H3K27ac deposition across the genome. In turn, active enhancers and promoters are not created de novo and instead reflect the epigenomic landscape of the cell of origin. H3K27ac is enriched at repeat elements, resulting in their increased expression, which in turn can be further amplified by DNA demethylation and histone deacetylase inhibitors providing an exquisite therapeutic vulnerability. These agents may therefore modulate anti-tumor immune responses as a therapeutic modality for this untreatable disease. Display omitted •H3K27M mutant gliomas exhibit an enhancer landscape reflecting lineage of origin•Elevated H3K27 acetylation is pervasively distributed across the epigenome•Repeat element expression is de-repressed by H3K27M mutation•H3K27M cells are more vulnerable to DNA demethylation triggering viral mimicry Krug et al. reveal increased global H3K27ac deposition across the genome without creation of de novo active enhancers or promoters in high-grade glioma (HGG) with H3K27M mutations. H3K27ac enrichment at repeat elements in H3K27M HGG increases their expression, conferring sensitivity to epigenetic therapies.