Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have gained significant attention as a promising technology for grid scale energy storage due to their high safety and low cost. Nevertheless, side reactions on the zinc anodes result in a decrease in efficiency decay and capacity loss, hindering the wide-spread application of AZIBs. Recently, great efforts have been conducted to tackle these challenges, such as modifying the internal structure of zinc anodes, coating protection on the surface of zinc anodes, and optimizing the electrolytes. However, there is a lack of systematic summary on the design of side reactions-suppressed zinc anodes, especially through the optimization strategies of aqueous electrolytes. Herein, this review systematically summarizes the main mechanisms and influence factors of side reactions. Subsequently, we present the main modification strategies based on electrolyte engineering for alleviating side reactions, with a particular emphasis on polymer electrolytes. Lastly, we shed light on the potential research directions and perspectives of aqueous electrolytes, which may promote the development of AZIBs.