Pomelo peel waste-derived porous carbon (PPPC) was prepared by a facile one-step ZnCl2 activation method. The preparation parameters of PPPC were the mass ratio of ZnCl2 to pomelo peel of 2:1, carbonization temperature of 500 °C, and carbonization time of 1 h. This obtained PPPC possessed abundant macro-,meso-, and micro-porous structures, and a large specific surface area of 939.4 m2 g−1. Surprisingly, it had excellent adsorption ability for methylene blue, including a high adsorption capacity of 602.4 mg g−1 and good reusability. The adsorption isotherm and kinetic fitted with Langmuir and pseudo-second order kinetic models. This work provides a novel strategy for pomelo peel waste utilization and a potential adsorbent for treating dye wastewater.