Methods, systems, and devices providing for media access control (MAC) control element (CE) configuration and triggering of sounding reference signal (SRS) are described. For example, a MAC packet data unit (PDU) may include MAC CEs and may indicate (e.g., via one or more bits in fields included in the MAC PDU, such as a MAC subheader) that one or more MAC CEs include one or more SRS configuration parameters. Such SRS configuration parameters may be used by a wireless device to determine an SRS configuration, or to update or reconfigure SRS configuration parameters of an existing or previously defined SRS configuration. In some cases, downlink control information (DCI) may be coupled to a MAC CE, such that the coupled DCI may provide additional SRS configuration parameters to be used in conjunction with SRS parameters indicated by the MAC CE. In such cases, the MAC PDU may indicate a coupling configuration.