The classical optimal control (COC) method has been widely used for linear quadratic regulator (LQR) problems of structural control. However, the equation of motion of the structure is incorporated into the optimization model as the constraint condition for the LQR problem, which needs to be solved through the Riccati equation under certain assumptions. In this study, an explicit optimal control (EOC) method is proposed based on the explicit time-domain method (ETDM). By use of the explicit formulation of structural responses, the LQR problem with the constraint of equation of motion can be transformed into an unconstrained optimization problem, and therefore the control law can be derived directly without solving the Riccati equation. To further optimize the weighting parameters adopted in the control law using the gradient-based optimization algorithm, the sensitivities of structural responses and control forces with respect to the weighting parameters are derived analytically based on the explicit expressions of dynamic responses of the controlled structure. Two numerical examples are investigated to demonstrate the feasibility of the EOC method and the optimization scheme for weighting parameters involved in the control law.