<p>Electrospinning nanofibers (ESNFs) have emerged as promising materials for the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) due to their flexibility, sensitivity, lightweight structure, tunable morphologies, and large surface area. Their incorporated porous structure improves surface charge generation and retention, while their mechanical flexibility facilitates seamless integration into energy-harvesting and sensor systems. Herein, various aspects of ESNFs-based TENGs were examined. After introducing the most common fundamental working principles and operating modes of TENGs, and comprehensive overview of electrospinning fundamentals and the applications of ESNFs in mechanical energy harvesting and smart sensing was provided. Also, the effects aimed at critical challenges and future directions such as enhancing energy conversion efficiency, material robustness, cost-effective fabrication, and long-term stability across various energy harvesting platforms. Finally, a perspective is presented on the material aspects of ESNF-based TENGs, which are anticipated to play crucial role in addressing versatile and sustainable power sources for guiding next-generation of self-powered electronics, with potential applications in mechanical energy harvesting, human-machine interaction, self-powered smart sensors, wearable electronics, and healthcare monitoring.</p>