Development of advanced electrode materials is considered essential for achieving high-performance rechargeable batteries for the fast-growing electric vehicle and grid energy storage applications. Herein, a core-shell structured nitrogen-doped carbon-coated ZnO is prepared via the growth of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF–8) on the ZnO surface followed by thermal decomposition under inert atmosphere. The microstructural characterization of the composite shows that ZnO particles are encapsulated within a highly conductive carbon nanolayer. By forming a LiF-rich solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) in the presence of the fluoroethylene carbonate additive, the ZnO-based composite exhibits a high specific capacity of 798 mA h g^-1 with an initial Coulombic efficiency of 81%, good capacity retention of over 300 cycles at 1 A g^-1, and improved rate performance up to 2 A g^-1. These results demonstrate that the combination of the multifunctional ZIF–8-derived carbon coating and the introduction of electrolyte additive as a SEI modifier significantly improves the electrochemical performance of high-capacity ZnO anode.