diff --git a/playground/_shared.ts b/playground/_shared.ts
index efd75b0..bb27fb6 100644
--- a/playground/_shared.ts
+++ b/playground/_shared.ts
@@ -18,7 +18,9 @@ export function createDemo<T extends WebSocketAdapter>(
       );
     },
     open(peer) {
-      peer.send(`Hello ${peer}`);
+      peer.send("Welcome to the server!");
+      peer.subscribe("welcome");
+      peer.publish("welcome", `New user joined! ${peer}`);
     },
     message(peer, message) {
       if (message.text() === "ping") {
@@ -38,17 +40,11 @@ export function createDemo<T extends WebSocketAdapter>(
   const resolve: CrossWSOptions["resolve"] = (info) => {
     return {
       open: (peer) => {
-        peer.send(
-          JSON.stringify(
-            {
-              url: info.url,
-              headers:
-                info.headers && Object.fromEntries(new Headers(info.headers)),
-            },
-            undefined,
-            2,
-          ),
-        );
+        peer.send({
+          url: info.url,
+          headers:
+            info.headers && Object.fromEntries(new Headers(info.headers)),
+        });
       },
     };
   };
diff --git a/src/_utils.ts b/src/_utils.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ee87f0f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/_utils.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+type BufferLike = string | Buffer | Uint8Array | ArrayBuffer;
+
+export function toBufferLike(val: any): BufferLike {
+  if (val === undefined || val === null) {
+    return "";
+  }
+
+  if (typeof val === "string") {
+    return val;
+  }
+
+  if (isPlainObject(val)) {
+    return JSON.stringify(val);
+  }
+
+  return val;
+}
+
+// Forked from sindresorhus/is-plain-obj (MIT)
+// Copyright (c) Sindre Sorhus <sindresorhus@gmail.com> (https://sindresorhus.com)
+// From https://github.com/unjs/defu/blob/main/src/_utils.ts
+export function isPlainObject(value: unknown): boolean {
+  if (value === null || typeof value !== "object") {
+    return false;
+  }
+  const prototype = Object.getPrototypeOf(value);
+
+  if (
+    prototype !== null &&
+    prototype !== Object.prototype &&
+    Object.getPrototypeOf(prototype) !== null
+  ) {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  if (Symbol.iterator in value) {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  if (Symbol.toStringTag in value) {
+    return Object.prototype.toString.call(value) === "[object Module]";
+  }
+
+  return true;
+}
diff --git a/src/adapters/bun.ts b/src/adapters/bun.ts
index 91f5b96..a511e1d 100644
--- a/src/adapters/bun.ts
+++ b/src/adapters/bun.ts
@@ -2,11 +2,11 @@
 
 import type { WebSocketHandler, ServerWebSocket, Server } from "bun";
 
-import { WebSocketMessage } from "../message";
-import { WebSocketError } from "../error";
+import { WSMessage } from "../message";
 import { WSPeer } from "../peer";
 import { defineWebSocketAdapter } from "../adapter";
 import { CrossWSOptions, createCrossWS } from "../crossws";
+import { toBufferLike } from "../_utils";
 
 export interface AdapterOptions extends CrossWSOptions {}
 
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ export default defineWebSocketAdapter<Adapter, AdapterOptions>(
         message: (ws, message) => {
           const peer = getWSPeer(ws);
           crossws.$("bun:message", peer, ws, message);
-          crossws.message(peer, new WebSocketMessage(message));
+          crossws.message(peer, new WSMessage(message));
         },
         open: (ws) => {
           const peer = getWSPeer(ws);
@@ -102,8 +102,23 @@ class BunWSPeer extends WSPeer<{
     return this.ctx.bun.ws.data.req?.headers || new Headers();
   }
 
-  send(message: string | ArrayBuffer) {
-    this.ctx.bun.ws.send(message);
-    return 0;
+  send(message: any, options?: { compress?: boolean }) {
+    return this.ctx.bun.ws.send(toBufferLike(message), options?.compress);
+  }
+
+  publish(topic: string, message: any, options?: { compress?: boolean }) {
+    return this.ctx.bun.ws.publish(
+      topic,
+      toBufferLike(message),
+      options?.compress,
+    );
+  }
+
+  subscribe(topic: string): void {
+    this.ctx.bun.ws.subscribe(topic);
+  }
+
+  unsubscribe(topic: string): void {
+    this.ctx.bun.ws.unsubscribe(topic);
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/adapters/cloudflare.ts b/src/adapters/cloudflare.ts
index de25685..935bb03 100644
--- a/src/adapters/cloudflare.ts
+++ b/src/adapters/cloudflare.ts
@@ -4,9 +4,10 @@ import type * as _cf from "@cloudflare/workers-types";
 
 import { WSPeer } from "../peer";
 import { defineWebSocketAdapter } from "../adapter.js";
-import { WebSocketMessage } from "../message";
+import { WSMessage } from "../message";
 import { WebSocketError } from "../error";
 import { CrossWSOptions, createCrossWS } from "../crossws";
+import { toBufferLike } from "../_utils";
 
 type Env = Record<string, any>;
 
@@ -48,7 +49,7 @@ export default defineWebSocketAdapter<Adapter, AdapterOptions>(
 
       server.addEventListener("message", (event) => {
         crossws.$("cloudflare:message", peer, event);
-        crossws.message(peer, new WebSocketMessage(event.data));
+        crossws.message(peer, new WSMessage(event.data));
       });
 
       server.addEventListener("error", (event) => {
@@ -100,8 +101,8 @@ class CloudflarePeer extends WSPeer<{
     return this.ctx.cloudflare.client.readyState as -1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3;
   }
 
-  send(message: string | ArrayBuffer) {
-    this.ctx.cloudflare.server.send(message);
+  send(message: any) {
+    this.ctx.cloudflare.server.send(toBufferLike(message));
     return 0;
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/adapters/deno.ts b/src/adapters/deno.ts
index 5a576e8..2f3423d 100644
--- a/src/adapters/deno.ts
+++ b/src/adapters/deno.ts
@@ -2,11 +2,12 @@
 // https://deno.land/api?s=Deno.upgradeWebSocket
 // https://examples.deno.land/http-server-websocket
 
-import { WebSocketMessage } from "../message";
+import { WSMessage } from "../message";
 import { WebSocketError } from "../error";
 import { WSPeer } from "../peer";
 import { defineWebSocketAdapter } from "../adapter.js";
 import { CrossWSOptions, createCrossWS } from "../crossws";
+import { toBufferLike } from "../_utils";
 
 export interface AdapterOptions extends CrossWSOptions {}
 
@@ -18,6 +19,8 @@ declare global {
   const Deno: typeof import("@deno/types").Deno;
 }
 
+type WebSocketUpgrade = import("@deno/types").Deno.WebSocketUpgrade;
+
 export default defineWebSocketAdapter<Adapter, AdapterOptions>(
   (hooks, options = {}) => {
     const crossws = createCrossWS(hooks, options);
@@ -43,7 +46,7 @@ export default defineWebSocketAdapter<Adapter, AdapterOptions>(
       });
       upgrade.socket.addEventListener("message", (event) => {
         crossws.$("deno:message", peer, event);
-        crossws.message(peer, new WebSocketMessage(event.data));
+        crossws.message(peer, new WSMessage(event.data));
       });
       upgrade.socket.addEventListener("close", () => {
         crossws.$("deno:close", peer);
@@ -63,9 +66,10 @@ export default defineWebSocketAdapter<Adapter, AdapterOptions>(
 );
 
 class DenoWSPeer extends WSPeer<{
-  deno: { ws: any; req: Request };
+  deno: { ws: WebSocketUpgrade["socket"]; req: Request };
 }> {
   get id() {
+    // @ts-expect-error types missing
     return this.ctx.deno.ws.remoteAddress;
   }
 
@@ -81,8 +85,8 @@ class DenoWSPeer extends WSPeer<{
     return this.ctx.deno.req.headers || new Headers();
   }
 
-  send(message: string | ArrayBuffer) {
-    this.ctx.deno.ws.send(message);
+  send(message: any) {
+    this.ctx.deno.ws.send(toBufferLike(message));
     return 0;
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/adapters/node.ts b/src/adapters/node.ts
index 02d23b3..ea1ac69 100644
--- a/src/adapters/node.ts
+++ b/src/adapters/node.ts
@@ -11,10 +11,11 @@ import type {
   WebSocket as WebSocketT,
 } from "../../types/ws";
 import { WSPeer } from "../peer";
-import { WebSocketMessage } from "../message";
+import { WSMessage } from "../message";
 import { WebSocketError } from "../error";
 import { defineWebSocketAdapter } from "../adapter";
 import { CrossWSOptions, createCrossWS } from "../crossws";
+import { toBufferLike } from "../_utils";
 
 export interface AdapterOptions extends CrossWSOptions {
   wss?: WebSocketServer;
@@ -46,7 +47,7 @@ export default defineWebSocketAdapter<Adapter, AdapterOptions>(
         if (Array.isArray(data)) {
           data = Buffer.concat(data);
         }
-        crossws.message(peer, new WebSocketMessage(data, isBinary));
+        crossws.message(peer, new WSMessage(data, isBinary));
       });
       ws.on("error", (error: Error) => {
         crossws.$("node:error", peer, error);
@@ -137,8 +138,12 @@ class NodeWSPeer extends WSPeer<{
     return this.ctx.node.ws.readyState;
   }
 
-  send(message: string, compress?: boolean) {
-    this.ctx.node.ws.send(message, { compress });
+  send(message: any, options?: { compress?: boolean; binary?: boolean }) {
+    this.ctx.node.ws.send(toBufferLike(message), {
+      compress: options?.compress,
+      binary: options?.binary,
+      ...options,
+    });
     return 0;
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/adapters/uws.ts b/src/adapters/uws.ts
index 76de1dc..1c314b9 100644
--- a/src/adapters/uws.ts
+++ b/src/adapters/uws.ts
@@ -8,9 +8,10 @@ import type {
   HttpResponse,
 } from "uWebSockets.js";
 import { WSPeer } from "../peer";
-import { WebSocketMessage } from "../message";
+import { WSMessage } from "../message";
 import { defineWebSocketAdapter } from "../adapter";
 import { CrossWSOptions, createCrossWS } from "../crossws";
+import { toBufferLike } from "../_utils";
 
 type UserData = {
   _peer?: any;
@@ -67,7 +68,7 @@ export default defineWebSocketAdapter<Adapter, AdapterOptions>(
       message(ws, message, isBinary) {
         const peer = getWSPeer(ws);
         crossws.$("uws:message", peer, ws, message, isBinary);
-        const msg = new WebSocketMessage(message, isBinary);
+        const msg = new WSMessage(message, isBinary);
         crossws.message(peer, msg);
       },
       open(ws) {
@@ -166,8 +167,24 @@ class UWSWSPeer extends WSPeer<{
     return this._headers;
   }
 
-  send(message: string, compress?: boolean) {
-    this.ctx.uws.ws.send(message, false, compress);
+  send(message: any, options?: { compress?: boolean; binary?: boolean }) {
+    return this.ctx.uws.ws.send(
+      toBufferLike(message),
+      options?.binary,
+      options?.compress,
+    );
+  }
+
+  subscribe(topic: string): void {
+    this.ctx.uws.ws.subscribe(topic);
+  }
+
+  publish(
+    topic: string,
+    message: string,
+    options?: { compress?: boolean; binary?: boolean },
+  ) {
+    this.ctx.uws.ws.publish(topic, message, options?.binary, options?.compress);
     return 0;
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/hooks.ts b/src/hooks.ts
index 950c723..0b4906f 100644
--- a/src/hooks.ts
+++ b/src/hooks.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { WebSocketError } from "./error";
-import type { WebSocketMessage } from "./message";
+import type { WSMessage } from "./message";
 import type { WSPeer, WSRequest } from "./peer";
 
 type MaybePromise<T> = T | Promise<T>;
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ export interface WebSocketHooks {
   upgrade: (req: WSRequest) => MaybePromise<void | { headers?: HeadersInit }>;
 
   /** A message is received */
-  message: (peer: WSPeer, message: WebSocketMessage) => MaybePromise<void>;
+  message: (peer: WSPeer, message: WSMessage) => MaybePromise<void>;
 
   /** A socket is opened */
   open: (peer: WSPeer) => MaybePromise<void>;
diff --git a/src/message.ts b/src/message.ts
index 43c6a0f..10d4363 100644
--- a/src/message.ts
+++ b/src/message.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
-export class WebSocketMessage {
+import { toBufferLike } from "./_utils";
+
+export class WSMessage {
   constructor(
-    public readonly rawData: string | ArrayBuffer | Uint8Array,
+    public readonly rawData: any,
     public readonly isBinary?: boolean,
   ) {}
 
@@ -8,14 +10,18 @@ export class WebSocketMessage {
     if (typeof this.rawData === "string") {
       return this.rawData;
     }
-    return new TextDecoder().decode(this.rawData);
+    const buff = toBufferLike(this.rawData);
+    if (typeof buff === "string") {
+      return buff;
+    }
+    return new TextDecoder().decode(buff);
   }
 
   toString() {
-    return `<WebSocketMessage: ${this.text()}>`;
+    return this.text();
   }
 
   [Symbol.for("nodejs.util.inspect.custom")]() {
-    return this.toString();
+    return this.text();
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/peer.ts b/src/peer.ts
index c7f4021..9db9426 100644
--- a/src/peer.ts
+++ b/src/peer.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
+import { WSMessage } from "./message";
+
 // https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebSocket/readyState
 type ReadyState = 0 | 1 | 2 | 3;
 const ReadyStateMap = {
-  "-1": "unkown",
+  "-1": "unknown",
   0: "connecting",
   1: "open",
   2: "closing",
@@ -14,6 +16,8 @@ export interface WSRequest {
 }
 
 export abstract class WSPeer<AdapterContext = any> implements WSRequest {
+  _subscriptions: Set<string> = new Set();
+
   constructor(public ctx: AdapterContext) {}
 
   get id(): string | undefined {
@@ -32,13 +36,22 @@ export abstract class WSPeer<AdapterContext = any> implements WSRequest {
     return -1;
   }
 
-  abstract send(
-    message: string | ArrayBuffer | Uint8Array,
-    compress?: boolean,
-  ): number;
+  abstract send(message: any, options?: { compress?: boolean }): number;
+
+  publish(topic: string, message: any, options?: { compress?: boolean }) {
+    // noop
+  }
+
+  subscribe(topic: string) {
+    this._subscriptions.add(topic);
+  }
+
+  unsubscribe(topic: string) {
+    this._subscriptions.delete(topic);
+  }
 
   toString() {
-    return `${this.id || ""}${this.readyState === 1 ? "" : ` [${ReadyStateMap[this.readyState]}]`}`;
+    return `${this.id || ""}${this.readyState === 1 || this.readyState === -1 ? "" : ` [${ReadyStateMap[this.readyState]}]`}`;
   }
 
   [Symbol.for("nodejs.util.inspect.custom")]() {