Abstract: Zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) demonstrate significant application potential in aqueous energy storage due to their high theoretical capacity, high safety, environmental friendliness, and low cost. However, conventional cathode materials commonly suffer from low intrinsic conductivity, slow zinc ion diffusion kinetics, and structural collapse during cycling, severely limiting their electrochemical performance. Developing electroactive material modification strategies based on multi-component, multi-scale, and multi-interface synergistic composite systems offers an effective approach to overcome these bottlenecks. Accordingly, this paper systematically reviews the structural characteristics and composite modification methods of zinc-ion battery cathode materials in recent years, focusing on the insertion/extraction reaction mechanism and conversion reaction mechanism. It thoroughly analyzes their key roles in enhancing material conductivity, expanding interlayer spacing, stabilizing crystal structures, optimizing ion diffusion pathways and suppressing cathode material dissolution, while also outlining future development directions in this field.