In order to test the peeling–ballooning ELM model, ECRH heating was applied to the edge of ASDEX Upgrade type-I ELMy H-mode plasmas to alter the pedestal pressure and current density profiles. The discharges were analysed with respect to ideal MHD stability. While the ELM frequency increased and the pedestal gradients relaxed with edge ECRH, the MHD stability boundary did not change. The results indicate that the peeling–ballooning model is insufficient to fully explain the triggering of ELM instabilities in the presence of edge ECRH heating.