<p>A number of technological advancements have made bioremediation an emerging and innovative technology, including its economic viability, increased competence, and natural environment friendliness. The efficiency, scalability, and specificity of conventional physical, chemical, and biological remediation techniques are still limited, despite their partial success. Recent developments in CRISPR-based genome engineering have made it possible to precisely manipulate metal transporters, detoxification enzymes, and stress-response pathways in microorganisms and plants, opening up new possibilities to improve bioremediation. This review offers a thorough and integrated examination of enzyme engineering, biosensing systems, microbial bioremediation, and CRISPR-enabled phytoremediation. This work is novel because it presents a unified roadmap for next-generation bioremediation technologies by integrating CRISPR editing with multi-omics, synthetic biology, and emerging CRISPR-based biosensors. We also go over ecological risks, current difficulties, legal issues, and potential field deployment scenarios in the future. These revelations collectively demonstrate the revolutionary potential of CRISPR in creating highly effective, sustainable, and scalable remedies for heavy metal pollution.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>