Vocal trance is a subgenre of trance music developed in Germany. It contains vocals, highly melodic sessions, intro/outros which are similar to those of hard trance or progressive trance and tracks of usually about 6 to 8 minutes long. The sub-genre goes back to the early 1990s, when trance was still developing, and vocals have gone onto become a staple of trance. Although many early trance records used vocal samples mixed in with the beats, the earliest examples of the style appeared in 1992/93.

A typical track consists of three elements. At the beginning of the track there is an intro of progressive beats, which lasts about 1-3 minutes. The melodic part (2-5min) starts incrementally, combining vocals, usually by female vocalists, and melodic sound (for the most part high pitched and fast) with the bass pattern to give a great melody cycle. Finally when the outro is approaching, the melody fades out and we get the same rhythm as the intro, usually with some minor changes. Although later tracks have become much less formulaic.

Vocal trance producers frequently make use of session musicians, particularly female vocalists, for vocals on their tracks. Session vocalists have been featured on tracks that span different genres and sub genres, while some vocalists have chosen to work only within the electronic club and dance music genres.