Electrospun carbon nanofiber composites (ZnCo2O4/Ag-GO-CNFs) coated with 3D urchin-like ZnCo2O4 nanosheets to form a shish-kebab structure have been prepared using a combination of electrospinning, carbonization and hydrothermal treatments. The composition and microstructure of ZnCo2O4/Ag-GOCNFs were investigated using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis. Interestingly, ZnCo2O4/Ag-GO-CNFs provided a new style of electrode materials and exhibited an excellent specific capacity of 459.48 mA h g(-1) at 20 mV s(-1). Notably, the specific capacity of ZnCo2O4/Ag-GO-CNFs also exhibited a remarkable cycling stability (96.0% retention after 9000 cycles), which holds great promise for practical applications in energy storage devices as a carbon-based electrode material.