Underwater superoleophobic materials with low adhesion have been widely researched owing to their self-cleaning and anti-corrosive properties. In this study, polypyrrole (PPy) nanowire meshes have been successfully fabricated by in situ electrochemical polymerization on stainless steel mesh substrates in the presence of phosphate buffered saline as both an electrolyte and a dopant. PPy nanowire meshes have high oil contact angles (above 150°) and low sliding angles (less than 10°), and they show underwater superoleophobicity with an excellent self-cleaning performance, not only in pure water, but also in highly corrosive aqueous solutions, including salt solutions, strong acids or basic solutions. PPy nanowire meshes presented here show promise for potential applications in fields such as oil–water separation and marine oil spill clean-up.