Purpose: considering the resource-based view, embracing green supply chain management (GSCM) influences a firm’s performance (FP). This study finds the nexus between GSCM and FP by analyzing the reporting trends among the authors, countries, and sources along with collaboration among countries and authors, the emerging topics, and different themes in this field with their impact, centrality, and density. Lastly, it probes into the different methodologies, affiliating concepts, influencers, drivers, and impacts of GSCM through content analysis. Design/methodology/approach: this paper spotted 1518 documents narrowed down to 938, pertinent to GSCM and performance, utilizing the Scopus database. It uses sources, authors, word analysis, coupling, network analysis of keywords, social structure, and conceptual structure analysis in the Biblioshiny package of Rstudio (Version 4.4.0) to identify the progress in the fields spanning through the decade (2014–2023). Moreover, content analysis has been used to study the concepts and contexts of different themes identified through thematic analysis. Findings: the study found Journal of cleaner production in sources, Sarkis in authors, and China in countries to have the highest no. of documents. Closed-loop, digital, and circular supply chains and Industry 4.0 have been identified as the trending topics. Moreover, the key themes identified are (1) Supply Chain Optimization Models for Sustainability, (2) Affiliating concepts to, and the relationship between, Sustainable Supply Chain Strategies and TBL Performance in Manufacturing Sectors of Developing Countries, (3) Life Cycle Analysis of Natural-Resource Based Supply Chains for Sustainability Assessment on TBL, and (4) Factors Influencing and Performances Impacted by GSCM. Originality/Value: this research adds to the previous literature by analyzing both the concepts of GSCM and FP collectively, and finding new themes in between their intersection. Implications: it will direct future researchers in choosing the right theme, methodology, intervening variables, affiliating concepts, and country and author collaboration for the fields related to GSCM and FP.