With its unique data samples at energies of 3.8–4.6 GeV, the BESIII experiment made a significant contribution to the study of charmonium and charmonium-like states, i.e., the XYZ states.We review the results for observations of the Z_c(3900) and Z_c(4020) states, the X(3872) in e⁺e⁻ annihilation, and charmonium ψ(1³D₂) state, as well as measurements of the cross-sections of ωχ_cJ and ηJ/ψ, and the search for e⁺e⁻→ γχ_cJ and γY (4140). We also present data from BESIII that may further strengthen the study of the XYZ and conventional charmonium states, and discuss perspectives on future experiments.