Surface-enhanced fluorescence (SEF) is a cross-space interaction that is affected by the distance between fluorescent molecules and metal nanoparticles. The core-shell structure has become a research topic that has attracted much attention in recent years because of its simple preparation method and easy adjustment of shell thickness. This review introduces several core-shell structures widely used in the study of surface-enhanced fluorescence and their research progress at home and abroad, mainly including the shell structure with metal nanoparticles as the core, the shell structure with metal nanoparticles as the shell, and some other core-shell structures. Then, combined with the research status, the future development of the core-shell structure is prospected.