The gently tilt-layered shale displays anisotropic behavior and includes structural planes that cause the rock to exhibit weakened features. As a result, the load-bearing capacity and failure mechanisms of this type of rock differ significantly from those of other rock types. A series of uniaxial compression tests were performed on shale samples from the Chaoyang Tunnel to investigate damage evolution patterns and typical failure characteristics of gently tilt-layered shale. An acoustic emission testing system was incorporated to analyze the acoustic emission parameters of the shale samples during the loading process. The results indicate that the failure modes of the gently tilt-layered shale are significantly correlated with the structural plane angles and water content. The shale samples gradually transition from tension failure to tension-shear compound failure as the structural plane angles and water content increase, with an increasing level of damage. The maximum values of AE ringing counts and AE energy for shale samples with diverse structural plane angles and water content are reached near the peak stress and serve as precursors to rock failure. The primary factor influencing the failure modes of the rock samples is the structural plane angle. The precise correspondence between the structural plane angle, water content, crack propagation patterns, and failure modes of gently tilted layered shale can be captured by the distribution of the RA-AF values.