In summary, we found that the CXCL5/CXCR2 axis promotes NPC cell migration, invasion, and metastasis via the activation of the ERK/GSK-3β/Snail signalling pathway and the induction of the EMT, which may lead to the identification of new therapeutic targets for the distant metastasis of NPC. Here, GSK3B is linked to nasopharyngeal carcinoma.