<p>The present study provides a detailed explanation of the structural, optical, and luminescence performance of Dy³⁺-doped ZKPAB glasses. Herein, a series of zinc-potassium-lead-aluminum borate (ZKPAB) glasses doped with different concentrations of Dy³⁺ ions (<i>x</i> = 0.1–1.0&#xa0;mol%) were prepared using the melt-quenching technique to investigate their optical, structural, and luminescence properties for white-light applications. An increase in dysprosium ion (Dy³⁺) concentration led to enhanced glass density, refractive index, and field strength, which was attributed to the compactness of the glass network structure. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra of the prepared glass samples confirmed their amorphous nature, while Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed the presence of different functional groups and their bonding nature in Dy³⁺ ion-doped ZKPAB glasses. Optical investigations were carried out by recording the absorption spectra, which revealed the probable transitions of Dy³⁺ ion-doped ZKPAB glasses. Using the absorption data, the Urbach energy, optical bandgaps, nephelauxetic shift, and bonding parameters were calculated to examine the bonding nature of the Dy³⁺ ions in their surroundings. The excitation spectra were recorded using 575&#xa0;nm as the emission wavelength (<i>λ</i>_em), in which the peak at 350&#xa0;nm due to the ⁶H_15/2-to-⁶P_7/2 transition was the most intense peak. Thus, 350&#xa0;nm was considered as the excitation wavelength (<i>λ</i>_ex) for recording the emission spectra. Correspondingly, the emission spectra of the glasses exhibited three sharp peaks in the blue, yellow, and red regions, with ZKPABDy0.5 showing the most intense transitions. Further, the emission spectra were used to determine the luminescence properties including CIE color coordinates, color-correlated temperature (CCT), and yellow-to-blue (Y/B) intensity ratio of the prepared glass sample series. The CIE coordinates were found to be close to the standard white-light coordinates (0.33, 0.33), and the CCT values exceeded 4000&#xa0;K, indicating their ability to emit cool white light. The prepared samples in the present study are promising material for potential future applications in the field of luminescence and white-light-emitting diodes (w-LEDs).</p> Graphical Abstract <p>CIE chromaticity diagram for various concentrations of Dy³⁺ ion-doped ZKPAB glasses.</p>