A general coupled-wave theory analysis is presented for centered-rectangular lattice photonic crystal (PC) lasers with transverse-electric-like polarization. This analysis affords a realistic approach to the treatment of the full three-dimensional structure of the laser devices by incorporating surface emission and high-order coupling effects. Band structures and radiation constants of band-edge modes are calculated and discussed for different lattice angles, and their accuracies are verified via experiments and numerical simulations. Thus, the proposed analysis facilitates comprehensive understanding of the physics of PC surface-emitting lasers (PC-SELs), and it reveals extra degrees of structural flexibility for developing novel PC-SEL devices.