context: Electrospun nanomaterials are very promising electrode materials for SCs in terms of outstanding electronic conductivity and electrolyte accessibility, rich and uniform porosity, and excellent structural stability. In this review, we extensively discussed the recent advances in electrospun nanomaterial electrodes for SCs. Firstly, pore engineering (i.e. activation, blend polymer electrospinning, addition of metal salts, and template method) and heteroatom doping as two major approaches to improve the electrochemical performance of electrospun CNFs were reviewed. Furthermore, due to their superb mechanical strength, high electronic conductivity, good compatibility and lightweight characteristics, CNFs acting as the attractive host/substrate for diverse electroactive materials such as metal oxides, metal phosphides, and metal–organic frameworks were summarized with critical insights. Finally, electrospun carbon-free materials represented by metal oxides in different compositions (spinel-type oxides, perovskites, metal oxide–metal oxide composites, etc.) and architectures (porous, hollow, core–shell, etc.) were also discussed. Despite increasingly successful examples demonstrating the great potential of electrospun nanomaterial electrodes, there are still challenges and opportunities in this field which have not been fully explored: