With the rapid development of industrialization and globalization in recent years, an increasing amount of textile dye wastewater and pharmaceutical wastewater has been discharged into the environment. Current wastewater treatment technology has difficulty meeting all the practical requirements of harmless wastewater discharge, and therefore, the exploration and development of new technologies to treat various types of wastewater is urgently needed. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have the advantages of strong oxidation ability, complete decomposition of organic pollutants , and no secondary pollution, and scientists have found that the introduction of nanocatalysts with good performance into AOPs can achieve excellent treatment effects. Numerous studies have shown that the introduction of catalysts to AOPs can greatly improve the treatment effect. These results demonstrate that AOPs may be an efficient approach for the large-scale treatment of wastewater, however, there are very few systematic reviews that address the treatment of textile dye wastewater and pharmaceutical residue wastewater by AOPs. This study provides a unique focus on the advantages and disadvantages of single AOPs, AOPs combined with nanocatalsyts, and other technologies for the treatment of textile dye wastewater and pharmaceutical residual wastewater, and several critical mechanisms of the degradation of pollutants have been summarized and analyzed. Finally, the challenges and prospects of AOPs in wastewater treatment are summarized. This study provides a useful theoretical foundation and practical guidance for scientists in the fields of environmental science, environmental engineering, and environmental health.