<p>Natural lignin-derived room temperature phosphorescent materials have garnered significant interest due to their long-lived luminescence, large Stokes shifts, high quantum yields, and environmentally benign nature compared to petroleum-based counterparts. This review outlines principal preparation strategies, including confinement and spin-orbit coupling-enhancement approaches, along with highlighting their emerging applications in anti-counterfeiting, optoelectronics, and biomedical imaging. Furthermore, we analyze current technical challenges and conclude with forward-looking perspectives on sustainable processing, optical property regulation, and diverse applications. This review aims to provide comprehensive and insightful guidance for developing high-performance lignin-based photonic materials, potentially inspiring innovative approaches for sustainable optoelectronic technologies.</p>