Objective <p>This study aims to examine the relationship between empowering motivational climate in physical education and adolescents’ social-emotional competence, and to analyze the chain mediation effect of teacher-student relationship and physical activity level.</p> Methods <p>A questionnaire survey was conducted with 1,145 adolescents from first-tier (Guangzhou), second-tier (Foshan), and third-tier (Qingyuan) cities in Guangdong Province, using scales measuring empowering motivational climate in physical education, teacher-student relationship, physical activity level, and social-emotional competence. Data were statistically analyzed using IBM SPSS 29.0 and IBM AMOS 26.0 software.</p> Results <p>(1) empowering motivational climate in physical education was positively correlated with social-emotional competence and had a direct predictive effect on it; (2) empowering motivational climate in physical education could indirectly influence adolescents’ social-emotional competence through the partial mediating effects of teacher-student relationship and physical activity level; (3) empowering motivational climate in physical education may also indirectly affect adolescents’ social-emotional competence through the chain mediation of “teacher-student relationship and physical activity level.”</p> Conclusion <p>The empowering motivational climate in physical education can not only directly predict social-emotional competence but also exert indirect effects through the mediating roles of teacher-student relationship and physical activity level, thereby providing theoretical support and practical evidence for promoting the development of adolescents’ social-emotional competence.</p>