diff --git a/frontend/src/components/Onboarding.tsx b/frontend/src/components/Onboarding.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..36fbff0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/components/Onboarding.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,225 @@
+import { useState, useEffect, useCallback } from 'react'
+import { useNavigate } from 'react-router-dom'
+import { Disc3, ListMusic, Compass, Sparkles, Rocket } from 'lucide-react'
+
+interface OnboardingProps {
+  onComplete: () => void
+}
+
+interface Step {
+  icon: typeof Disc3
+  title: string
+  description: string
+  details?: string[]
+  buttons?: { label: string; path: string; primary?: boolean }[]
+}
+
+const steps: Step[] = [
+  {
+    icon: Disc3,
+    title: 'Welcome to Vynl!',
+    description:
+      'Your AI-powered music discovery companion. Let\u2019s show you around.',
+  },
+  {
+    icon: ListMusic,
+    title: 'Start by importing your music',
+    description:
+      'Paste a YouTube Music playlist URL, import from Last.fm, or just type in songs you love.',
+    details: ['YouTube Music playlists', 'Last.fm library sync', 'Manual song & artist entry'],
+  },
+  {
+    icon: Compass,
+    title: 'Discover new music',
+    description:
+      'Choose a discovery mode, set your mood, and let AI find songs you\u2019ll love. Every recommendation links to YouTube Music.',
+    details: [
+      'Sonic Twin \u2013 your musical doppelg\u00e4nger',
+      'Era Bridge \u2013 cross decades',
+      'Deep Cuts \u2013 hidden gems',
+      'Rising \u2013 emerging artists',
+      'Surprise Me \u2013 random delight',
+    ],
+  },
+  {
+    icon: Sparkles,
+    title: 'Explore more',
+    description: 'Vynl is packed with ways to dig deeper into music.',
+    details: [
+      'Crate Digger \u2013 swipe through discoveries',
+      'Rabbit Hole \u2013 follow connected songs',
+      'Playlist Generator \u2013 AI-built playlists',
+      'Artist Deep Dive \u2013 click any artist name',
+    ],
+  },
+  {
+    icon: Rocket,
+    title: 'You\u2019re all set!',
+    description:
+      'Import a playlist or just type what you\u2019re in the mood for on the Discover page.',
+    buttons: [
+      { label: 'Import Music', path: '/playlists' },
+      { label: 'Start Discovering', path: '/discover', primary: true },
+    ],
+  },
+]
+
+export default function Onboarding({ onComplete }: OnboardingProps) {
+  const navigate = useNavigate()
+  const [currentStep, setCurrentStep] = useState(0)
+  const [direction, setDirection] = useState<'next' | 'prev'>('next')
+  const [animating, setAnimating] = useState(false)
+  const [visible, setVisible] = useState(false)
+
+  const isLastStep = currentStep === steps.length - 1
+
+  // Fade in on mount
+  useEffect(() => {
+    requestAnimationFrame(() => setVisible(true))
+    document.body.classList.add('overflow-hidden')
+    return () => document.body.classList.remove('overflow-hidden')
+  }, [])
+
+  const goTo = useCallback(
+    (next: number, dir: 'next' | 'prev') => {
+      if (animating) return
+      setDirection(dir)
+      setAnimating(true)
+      setTimeout(() => {
+        setCurrentStep(next)
+        setAnimating(false)
+      }, 200)
+    },
+    [animating],
+  )
+
+  const handleNext = () => {
+    if (isLastStep) {
+      onComplete()
+      return
+    }
+    goTo(currentStep + 1, 'next')
+  }
+
+  const handleCTA = (path: string) => {
+    onComplete()
+    navigate(path)
+  }
+
+  const step = steps[currentStep]
+  const Icon = step.icon
+
+  const translateClass = animating
+    ? direction === 'next'
+      ? 'opacity-0 translate-x-8'
+      : 'opacity-0 -translate-x-8'
+    : 'opacity-100 translate-x-0'
+
+  return (
+    <div
+      className={`fixed inset-0 z-[100] flex items-center justify-center p-4 transition-opacity duration-300 ${
+        visible ? 'opacity-100' : 'opacity-0'
+      }`}
+    >
+      {/* Backdrop */}
+      <div className="absolute inset-0 bg-black/60" onClick={onComplete} />
+
+      {/* Card */}
+      <div className="relative w-full max-w-lg bg-white rounded-2xl shadow-2xl overflow-hidden">
+        <div className="px-8 pt-10 pb-8 flex flex-col items-center text-center">
+          {/* Skip */}
+          {!isLastStep && (
+            <button
+              onClick={onComplete}
+              className="absolute top-4 right-5 text-sm text-charcoal-muted hover:text-charcoal transition-colors cursor-pointer bg-transparent border-none"
+            >
+              Skip
+            </button>
+          )}
+
+          {/* Step content with transition */}
+          <div
+            className={`flex flex-col items-center transition-all duration-200 ease-in-out ${translateClass}`}
+          >
+            {/* Icon */}
+            <div className="w-20 h-20 rounded-full bg-purple-50 flex items-center justify-center mb-6">
+              <Icon className="w-10 h-10 text-purple" strokeWidth={1.8} />
+            </div>
+
+            {/* Title */}
+            <h2 className="text-2xl font-bold text-charcoal mb-3">
+              {step.title}
+            </h2>
+
+            {/* Description */}
+            <p className="text-charcoal-muted leading-relaxed max-w-sm">
+              {step.description}
+            </p>
+
+            {/* Details list */}
+            {step.details && (
+              <ul className="mt-5 space-y-2 text-left w-full max-w-xs">
+                {step.details.map((item) => (
+                  <li
+                    key={item}
+                    className="flex items-start gap-2 text-sm text-charcoal-muted"
+                  >
+                    <span className="mt-1 w-1.5 h-1.5 rounded-full bg-purple flex-shrink-0" />
+                    {item}
+                  </li>
+                ))}
+              </ul>
+            )}
+
+            {/* CTA buttons on last step */}
+            {step.buttons && (
+              <div className="flex gap-3 mt-8 w-full max-w-xs">
+                {step.buttons.map((btn) => (
+                  <button
+                    key={btn.label}
+                    onClick={() => handleCTA(btn.path)}
+                    className={`flex-1 py-3 px-4 rounded-xl font-semibold text-sm transition-colors cursor-pointer border-none ${
+                      btn.primary
+                        ? 'bg-purple text-white hover:bg-purple-dark'
+                        : 'bg-purple-50 text-purple hover:bg-purple-100'
+                    }`}
+                  >
+                    {btn.label}
+                  </button>
+                ))}
+              </div>
+            )}
+          </div>
+
+          {/* Navigation */}
+          {!isLastStep && (
+            <button
+              onClick={handleNext}
+              className="mt-8 w-full max-w-xs py-3 bg-purple text-white font-semibold rounded-xl hover:bg-purple-dark transition-colors cursor-pointer border-none text-sm"
+            >
+              {currentStep === 0 ? "Let's Go" : 'Next'}
+            </button>
+          )}
+
+          {/* Progress dots */}
+          <div className="flex items-center gap-2 mt-6">
+            {steps.map((_, i) => (
+              <button
+                key={i}
+                onClick={() => {
+                  if (i !== currentStep) goTo(i, i > currentStep ? 'next' : 'prev')
+                }}
+                className={`rounded-full transition-all duration-300 cursor-pointer border-none p-0 ${
+                  i === currentStep
+                    ? 'w-6 h-2 bg-purple'
+                    : 'w-2 h-2 bg-purple-200 hover:bg-purple-300'
+                }`}
+                aria-label={`Go to step ${i + 1}`}
+              />
+            ))}
+          </div>
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  )
+}
diff --git a/frontend/src/pages/Dashboard.tsx b/frontend/src/pages/Dashboard.tsx
index a65bcee..6b9cc12 100644
--- a/frontend/src/pages/Dashboard.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/pages/Dashboard.tsx
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { ListMusic, Heart, Sparkles, Compass, Loader2, Music } from 'lucide-reac
 import { useAuth } from '../lib/auth'
 import { getPlaylists, getRecommendationHistory, getSavedRecommendations, generateRecommendations, type RecommendationItem, type PlaylistResponse } from '../lib/api'
 import RecommendationCard from '../components/RecommendationCard'
+import Onboarding from '../components/Onboarding'
 import { toggleSaveRecommendation } from '../lib/api'
 
 export default function Dashboard() {
@@ -15,6 +16,14 @@ export default function Dashboard() {
   const [query, setQuery] = useState('')
   const [discovering, setDiscovering] = useState(false)
   const [loading, setLoading] = useState(true)
+  const [showOnboarding, setShowOnboarding] = useState(
+    !localStorage.getItem('vynl_onboarding_done')
+  )
+
+  const handleOnboardingComplete = () => {
+    localStorage.setItem('vynl_onboarding_done', 'true')
+    setShowOnboarding(false)
+  }
 
   useEffect(() => {
     const load = async () => {
@@ -70,6 +79,8 @@ export default function Dashboard() {
 
   return (
     <div className="space-y-8">
+      {showOnboarding && <Onboarding onComplete={handleOnboardingComplete} />}
+
       {/* Welcome */}
       <div>
         <h1 className="text-3xl font-bold text-charcoal">