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. The gene discussed is SNAI1; the disease is nasopharyngeal carcinoma.