What is the significance of the syntax error "Parse error: syntax error, unexpected '['" in PHP code?

The "Parse error: syntax error, unexpected '['" in PHP code indicates that the code is using array syntax that is not supported by the PHP version being used. This error commonly occurs when using short array syntax ([]) in PHP versions prior to 5.4. To solve this issue, you can replace the short array syntax with the array() function.

// Incorrect code using short array syntax
$colors = ['red', 'green', 'blue'];

// Corrected code using array() function
$colors = array('red', 'green', 'blue');