To study the seismic performance of embedded polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe confined reinforced high-strength concrete (PVC-RHC) columns, five specimens are designed for cyclic loading test, which include three PVC-RHC column specimens, an embedded circle steel tube confined reinforced high-strength concrete (CST-RHC) column specimen, and a reinforced high-strength concrete (RHC) column specimen. The failure mechanism and morphology are revealed by experiments. The influences of PVC pipe diameter, axial compression ratio, and concrete strength on seismic performance indexes are analyzed. The research results indicate thhe following: all specimens displayed shear baroclinic failure. Compared with RHC specimens, the hysteretic curves of the PVC-RHC specimen and CST-RHC specimen were fuller; furthermore, their energy dissipation capacity, deformation, and ductility were more beneficial. With the increase of the diameter-length ratio and axial pressure, the energy dissipation capacity and deformation capacity of PVC-RHC specimens decreased. The shear bearing capacity of the PVC-RHC specimen calculated with "concrete structure design code" (GB 50010-2010) was smaller than the test results by 25%, showing an excessive safety margin. Thus, according to the failure mechanism of the PVC-RHC specimen, a new calculation formula of shear bearing capacity is deduced, which is in good agreement with the experimental results.