Gels and aerogels derived from colloidal nanoparticles not only own the advantages of the traditional aerogels like ultra- low density, large surface area and high porosity, but also retain some of the unique properties of the nanoparticles. These characteristics endow such new types of materials with the possibility of promising applications. In this review, we focus on the function-led design of aerogels from the 3D assembly of 0D spherical particles, 1D nanowires, and 2D nanosheets, and especially their applications in catalysis, sensing, optoelectronics, pollutants adsorbent/filtration, and beyond.