diff --git a/packages/core/src/generator/index.ts b/packages/core/src/generator/index.ts
index 74643e7a6c..559ccc578f 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/generator/index.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/generator/index.ts
@@ -225,12 +225,12 @@ export class UnoGenerator {
           const sorted: PreparedRule[] = items
             .filter(i => (i[4]?.layer || LAYER_DEFAULT) === layer)
             .sort((a, b) => a[0] - b[0] || (a[4]?.sort || 0) - (b[4]?.sort || 0) || a[1]?.localeCompare(b[1] || '') || a[2]?.localeCompare(b[2] || '') || 0)
-            .map(([, selector, body,, meta]) => {
+            .map(([, selector, body,, meta,, variantNoMerge]) => {
               const scopedSelector = selector ? applyScope(selector, scope) : selector
               return [
                 [[scopedSelector ?? '', meta?.sort ?? 0]],
                 body,
-                !!meta?.noMerge,
+                !!(variantNoMerge ?? meta?.noMerge),
               ]
             })
           if (!sorted.length)
@@ -384,6 +384,7 @@ export class UnoGenerator {
       parent,
       layer: variantContextResult.layer,
       sort: variantContextResult.sort,
+      noMerge: variantContextResult.noMerge,
     }
 
     for (const p of this.config.postprocess)
@@ -478,9 +479,9 @@ export class UnoGenerator {
     if (!parsed)
       return
     if (isRawUtil(parsed))
-      return [parsed[0], undefined, parsed[1], undefined, parsed[2], this.config.details ? context : undefined]
+      return [parsed[0], undefined, parsed[1], undefined, parsed[2], this.config.details ? context : undefined, undefined]
 
-    const { selector, entries, parent, layer: variantLayer, sort: variantSort } = this.applyVariants(parsed)
+    const { selector, entries, parent, layer: variantLayer, sort: variantSort, noMerge } = this.applyVariants(parsed)
     const body = entriesToCss(entries)
 
     if (!body)
@@ -492,7 +493,7 @@ export class UnoGenerator {
       layer: variantLayer ?? metaLayer,
       sort: variantSort ?? metaSort,
     }
-    return [parsed[0], selector, body, parent, ruleMeta, this.config.details ? context : undefined]
+    return [parsed[0], selector, body, parent, ruleMeta, this.config.details ? context : undefined, noMerge]
   }
 
   expandShortcut(input: string, context: RuleContext, depth = 5): [ShortcutValue[], RuleMeta | undefined] | undefined {
@@ -585,15 +586,15 @@ export class UnoGenerator {
     const rawStringfieldUtil: StringifiedUtil[] = []
     for (const item of parsed) {
       if (isRawUtil(item)) {
-        rawStringfieldUtil.push([item[0], undefined, item[1], undefined, item[2], context])
+        rawStringfieldUtil.push([item[0], undefined, item[1], undefined, item[2], context, undefined])
         continue
       }
-      const { selector, entries, parent, sort } = this.applyVariants(item, [...item[4], ...parentVariants], raw)
+      const { selector, entries, parent, sort, noMerge } = this.applyVariants(item, [...item[4], ...parentVariants], raw)
 
       // find existing selector/mediaQuery pair and merge
       const mapItem = selectorMap.getFallback(selector, parent, [[], item[0]])
       // add entries
-      mapItem[0].push([entries, !!item[3]?.noMerge, sort ?? 0])
+      mapItem[0].push([entries, !!(noMerge ?? item[3]?.noMerge), sort ?? 0])
     }
     return rawStringfieldUtil.concat(selectorMap
       .map(([e, index], selector, joinedParents) => {
@@ -603,7 +604,7 @@ export class UnoGenerator {
           return (flatten ? [entriesList.flat(1)] : entriesList).map((entries: CSSEntries): StringifiedUtil | undefined => {
             const body = entriesToCss(entries)
             if (body)
-              return [index, selector, body, joinedParents, { ...meta, noMerge, sort: maxSort }, context]
+              return [index, selector, body, joinedParents, { ...meta, noMerge, sort: maxSort }, context, undefined]
             return undefined
           })
         }
diff --git a/packages/core/src/types.ts b/packages/core/src/types.ts
index db282577c0..82f71a9bad 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/types.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/types.ts
@@ -228,6 +228,11 @@ export interface VariantHandlerContext {
    * Order in which the variant is sorted within single rule.
    */
   sort?: number
+  /**
+   * Option to not merge the resulting entries even if the body are the same.
+   * @default false
+   */
+  noMerge?: boolean
 }
 
 export interface VariantHandler {
@@ -655,6 +660,7 @@ export type StringifiedUtil = readonly [
   parent: string | undefined,
   meta: RuleMeta | undefined,
   context: RuleContext | undefined,
+  noMerge: boolean | undefined,
 ]
 
 export type PreparedRule = readonly [
@@ -669,6 +675,7 @@ export interface UtilObject {
   parent: string | undefined
   layer: string | undefined
   sort: number | undefined
+  noMerge: boolean | undefined
 }
 
 export interface GenerateOptions {
diff --git a/test/__snapshots__/variant-handler.test.ts.snap b/test/__snapshots__/variant-handler.test.ts.snap
index c9008e957f..40e688eb67 100644
--- a/test/__snapshots__/variant-handler.test.ts.snap
+++ b/test/__snapshots__/variant-handler.test.ts.snap
@@ -1,5 +1,20 @@
 // Vitest Snapshot v1
 
+exports[`variants > noMerge on variant 1`] = `
+"/* layer: default */
+.foo,
+.var-a\\\\:foo::a,
+.var-b\\\\:foo::b{name:bar;}
+.var-c\\\\:foo::c{name:bar;}"
+`;
+
+exports[`variants > noMerge variant with shortcut 1`] = `
+"/* layer: shortcuts */
+.bar::a,
+.bar::b{name:bar;}
+.bar::c{name:bar;}"
+`;
+
 exports[`variants > selector section is merged in order 1`] = `
 "/* layer: default */
 .prefix .pre\\\\:back\\\\:foo::pseudo,
diff --git a/test/variant-handler.test.ts b/test/variant-handler.test.ts
index 4f1dac7e58..206eb6847e 100644
--- a/test/variant-handler.test.ts
+++ b/test/variant-handler.test.ts
@@ -114,4 +114,72 @@ describe('variants', () => {
 
     expect(css).toMatchSnapshot()
   })
+
+  test('noMerge on variant', async () => {
+    const uno = createGenerator({
+      rules: [
+        ['foo', { name: 'bar' }],
+      ],
+      variants: [
+        {
+          match(input) {
+            const match = input.match(/^(var-([abc])):/)
+            if (match) {
+              return {
+                matcher: input.slice(match[0].length),
+                handle: (input, next) => next({
+                  ...input,
+                  pseudo: `${input.pseudo}::${match[2]}`,
+                  noMerge: match[2] === 'c',
+                }),
+              }
+            }
+          },
+        },
+      ],
+    })
+
+    const { css } = await uno.generate([
+      'foo',
+      'var-a:foo',
+      'var-b:foo',
+      'var-c:foo',
+    ].join(' '), { preflights: false })
+
+    expect(css).toMatchSnapshot()
+  })
+
+  test('noMerge variant with shortcut', async () => {
+    const uno = createGenerator({
+      rules: [
+        ['foo', { name: 'bar' }],
+      ],
+      shortcuts: [
+        ['bar', 'var-a:foo var-b:foo var-c:foo'],
+      ],
+      variants: [
+        {
+          match(input) {
+            const match = input.match(/^(var-([abc])):/)
+            if (match) {
+              return {
+                matcher: input.slice(match[0].length),
+                handle: (input, next) => next({
+                  ...input,
+                  pseudo: `${input.pseudo}::${match[2]}`,
+                  noMerge: match[2] === 'c',
+                }),
+              }
+            }
+          },
+        },
+      ],
+    })
+
+    const { css } = await uno.generate([
+      'bar',
+    ].join(' '), { preflights: false })
+
+    expect(css).toMatchSnapshot()
+  })
 })