Is Trance Taking Hold? How Trance Music Is Re-emerging In The Mainstream

Dreamy synth loops and euphoric build-ups are becoming increasingly common in today’s mainstream music. Once confined to ‘90s raves and niche electronic circles, trance is making a comeback – this time extending far beyond underground warehouses and electronic festivals. The genre is now influencing pop, R&B, and alternative music, reshaping the mainstream landscape.

Trance was originally popularized by icons such as Paul van Dyk (CM rank:9063) , Armin van Buuren (CM rank: 532), Tiësto (CM rank: 173), Robert Miles (CM rank: 2339), and Ferry Corsten (CM rank: 9547), pioneers whose legendary productions rewired the DNA of electronic music. Tracks like "For An Angel" (1994) and "Children" (1998), for example, remain some of the most iconic records to date – ones that artists still revisit today for inspiration. 

This staying power has helped the genre remain dynamic, commercially successful, and even inspire new subgenres like tech-trance and house-trance. Artists from The Weeknd (CM rank: 107) to FKA twigs (CM rank: 3034) continue to experiment with trance’s rich palette of sounds and production techniques, pushing its boundaries while preserving its broad emotional appeal. Even BRAT summer standout Charli xcx made waves last year by weaving trance tracks into her iconic Boiler Room set.

Across the world's top 500 electronic DJs by Chartmetric score, 60 are currently tagged as "trance" or are associated with the the genre based on their live sets and production techniques. In addition, 180 of these artists were tagged with "emotional" moods while 37 were "hypnotic" – two qualities that closely align with trance’s ethereal character.

FKA Twigs and The Weeknd are leading this comeback

On a recent Switch On Pop episode titled “The Return of Trance Music,” podcast hosts Charlie Harding, Nate Sloan, and Reanna Cruz, take a deep dive into FKA twigs’ and The Weeknd’s (CM rank: 7) latest albums to prove that trance is evolving.

With EUSEXUA, Twigs' latest project, she channels the genre’s atmospheric core: airy pads, sweeping arpeggios, and emotional crescendos, while fusing them with her signature avant-pop vocals. Like most tracks on the album, the title song ‘Eusexua’ embarks the listeners on an sonic journey; one that is genre-bending and spiritually charged. It starts with a minimal beat that builds up with synths and a noticeable trance gate. “It grows and grows before we explode in this feeling of Eusexua,” Cruz points out. “Eusexua” is a term coined by twigs to describe the feeling of being so euphoric that you transcend beyond human form, according to an interview with British Vogue.

"Room of Fools" and "Girl feels good" also have distinctive trance tones that embody a feeling of bliss. Even "Striptease," a track that has been described by many as a standout for its experimental production incorporates trance elements.  The reverence to trance music in this album is not a coincidence, it is actually the inspiration.

In an interview with TikToker Margeaux (a.k.a marg.mp3), Twigs said that Prague’s underground rave scene greatly inspired EUSEXUA and influenced the electronic production style. This also extended to the album’s promotion as well. Instead of throwing traditional listening parties, Twigs curated raves in underground clubs across major cities to share her experience of rave culture and its influence on her new music. 

The reception of EUSEXUA shows that the trance influenced sound is resonating. In its release week, the album had over 46 million in Spotify playlist reach across editorial and user-generated playlists. The tracks also found their way onto some of the platform's popular electronic playlists. “Eusexua” peaked at number 5 on the editorial playlist Ethereal (1.6M followers), while “Striptease” hit number 1 on Women of Electronic (100k followers).

The Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow also dials into trance’s elements. Hypnotic rhythm patterns and synth work are used in the album as a backdrop for passionate storytelling and glossy R&B hooks. “Open Hearts,” the album's seventh track, features classic trance elements that bleed into the production, giving the song a euphoric feel. The post-chorus includes an intense drop supported by a high-pitched trance gate. Even on more genre-traditional tracks like “Timeless,” textures, such as “arpeggiated synth stabs and lush pads,” still make an appearance, Harding and Cruz argue. Harding also points out that “it’s not the foreground, it’s the background elements,” suggesting that while the song isn’t strictly trance, it carries a trance-adjacent feel.

Listeners are responding too. Following the release of Hurry Up Tomorrow in January, The Weeknd reached a record high in Spotify monthly listeners, peaking at nearly 126 million in March- the highest of his career.

Alternative trance-inspired albums are gaining momentum too

While the genre has been making a strong comeback in the mainstream, indie scenes are experiencing a similar shift. Take emerging French musician, singer, and producer Oklou (CM rank: 22775), for example. Her debut album, Choke Enough, released in February this year, features a unique blend of trance elements with classical and folk music. The title track, “Choke Enough” pulses with a trance-like tension within its ambient pop framework while “Harvest Sky” builds with cascading synths, though slowed down into something more cinematic. Yet again, the genre's elements are being tailored into the production of more popular genres, creating a new sonic palette. 

As FBI Radio, a community radio for emerging artists, describes it, the album lives in a space of “dead-eyed trance” and “twinkling synth arpeggios,” capturing today’s digital soundscape with the pull of the 90’s/Y2K nostalgia. This interpretive approach signals a shift in how trance is functioning in contemporary music.

Ever since the album was released, Oklou has witnessed a steep increase in Spotify followers and monthly listeners. Now, she sits at 934.45k monthly listeners and 185.4k followers, compared to late last year where had 277k and 81k, respectively. 

What does this mean for trance?

From mainstream to alternative spaces, trance music's emotional intensity and euphoric feel is making it an increasingly popular production tool. Artists are referring back to this genre’s production techniques to form new sonic experiences to serve as a backdrop for storytelling. While artists like FKA twigs, The Weeknd, and Oklou might not be producing tracks that are traditionally and strictly trance, they are blending its elements with more mainstream genres like pop, R&B, and folk to complement their work. This creative reinvention is helping trance to evolve into a flexible, genre crossing language.

As DJ and producer Avalon Emerson notes in a Pitchfork article on trance revival,  “Any revival solely predicated upon easy nostalgia and gimmickry is bound to fail.” What is happening today is something deeper. These artists aren’t just referencing trance, they’re reinterpreting it. By absorbing its elements into new musical contexts, they’re proving that trance is taking on a different shape where it reaches new spaces in the underground and mainstream.