diff --git a/playground/src/App.vue b/playground/src/App.vue
index a18a862ed..b1b5e8bb9 100644
--- a/playground/src/App.vue
+++ b/playground/src/App.vue
@@ -61,6 +61,9 @@ function _test() {
           <li>
             <RouterLink to="/">Home</RouterLink>
           </li>
+          <li>
+            <RouterLink to="/group">Group (thing.vue)</RouterLink>
+          </li>
           <li>
             <RouterLink to="/users/2" v-slot="{ href }">{{ href }}</RouterLink>
           </li>
diff --git a/playground/src/pages/(test-group)/test-group-child(treated-as-static).vue b/playground/src/pages/(test-group)/test-group-child(treated-as-static).vue
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7a9dff7e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/playground/src/pages/(test-group)/test-group-child(treated-as-static).vue
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+<template>
+  <h1>test group child (resolves to root, treated as static)</h1>
+</template>
diff --git a/playground/src/pages/(test-group)/test-group-child.vue b/playground/src/pages/(test-group)/test-group-child.vue
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fa79d0f72
--- /dev/null
+++ b/playground/src/pages/(test-group)/test-group-child.vue
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+<template>
+  <h1>Test group child (resolves to root)</h1>
+</template>
diff --git a/playground/src/pages/file(ignored-parentheses).vue b/playground/src/pages/file(ignored-parentheses).vue
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..000058e1b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/playground/src/pages/file(ignored-parentheses).vue
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+<template>
+  <h1>file(ignored-brackets)</h1>
+</template>
diff --git a/playground/src/pages/group/(thing).vue b/playground/src/pages/group/(thing).vue
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..694225f46
--- /dev/null
+++ b/playground/src/pages/group/(thing).vue
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+<template>
+	<h1>(thing).vue - Parentheses are ignored and this file becomes the index</h1>
+</template>
diff --git a/playground/src/pages/nested-group/(group).vue b/playground/src/pages/nested-group/(group).vue
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a235083e7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/playground/src/pages/nested-group/(group).vue
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+<template>
+  <h1>(group).vue</h1>
+</template>
diff --git a/playground/src/pages/nested-group/(nested-group-first-level)/(nested-group-deep)/nested-group-deep-child.vue b/playground/src/pages/nested-group/(nested-group-first-level)/(nested-group-deep)/nested-group-deep-child.vue
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9f0cf295e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/playground/src/pages/nested-group/(nested-group-first-level)/(nested-group-deep)/nested-group-deep-child.vue
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+<template>
+  <h1>Nested group deep child (resolves to nested-group)</h1>
+</template>
diff --git a/playground/src/pages/nested-group/(nested-group-first-level)/nested-group-first-level-child.vue b/playground/src/pages/nested-group/(nested-group-first-level)/nested-group-first-level-child.vue
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..35ff6c475
--- /dev/null
+++ b/playground/src/pages/nested-group/(nested-group-first-level)/nested-group-first-level-child.vue
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+<template>
+  <h1>Nested group first level child (resolves to nested group)</h1>
+</template>
diff --git a/src/codegen/generateRouteMap.spec.ts b/src/codegen/generateRouteMap.spec.ts
index 6afb60977..b2335c036 100644
--- a/src/codegen/generateRouteMap.spec.ts
+++ b/src/codegen/generateRouteMap.spec.ts
@@ -181,6 +181,42 @@ describe('generateRouteNamedMap', () => {
       }"
     `)
   })
+
+  it('ignores folder names in parentheses', () => {
+    const tree = new PrefixTree(DEFAULT_OPTIONS)
+
+    tree.insert('(group)/a', 'a.vue')
+
+    expect(formatExports(generateRouteNamedMap(tree))).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
+    "export interface RouteNamedMap {
+      '/(group)/a': RouteRecordInfo<'/(group)/a', '/a', Record<never, never>, Record<never, never>>,
+    }"
+  `)
+  })
+
+  it('ignores nested folder names in parentheses', () => {
+    const tree = new PrefixTree(DEFAULT_OPTIONS)
+
+    tree.insert('(group)/(subgroup)/c', 'c.vue')
+
+    expect(formatExports(generateRouteNamedMap(tree))).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
+    "export interface RouteNamedMap {
+      '/(group)/(subgroup)/c': RouteRecordInfo<'/(group)/(subgroup)/c', '/c', Record<never, never>, Record<never, never>>,
+    }"
+  `)
+  })
+
+  it('treats files named with parentheses as index inside static folder', () => {
+    const tree = new PrefixTree(DEFAULT_OPTIONS)
+
+    tree.insert('folder/(group)', 'folder/(group).vue')
+
+    expect(formatExports(generateRouteNamedMap(tree))).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
+    "export interface RouteNamedMap {
+      '/folder/(group)': RouteRecordInfo<'/folder/(group)', '/folder', Record<never, never>, Record<never, never>>,
+    }"
+  `)
+  })
 })
 
 /**
@@ -193,4 +229,8 @@ describe('generateRouteNamedMap', () => {
  * /static/...[param].vue -> /static/:param+
  * /static/...[[param]].vue -> /static/:param*
  * /static/...[[...param]].vue -> /static/:param(.*)*
+ * /(group)/a.vue -> /a
+ * /(group)/(subgroup)/c.vue -> /c
+ * /folder/(group).vue -> /folder
+ * /(home).vue -> /
  */
diff --git a/src/core/tree.spec.ts b/src/core/tree.spec.ts
index 266a0962f..01b347145 100644
--- a/src/core/tree.spec.ts
+++ b/src/core/tree.spec.ts
@@ -3,9 +3,12 @@ import { DEFAULT_OPTIONS, resolveOptions } from '../options'
 import { PrefixTree } from './tree'
 import { TreeNodeType } from './treeNodeValue'
 import { resolve } from 'pathe'
+import { mockWarn } from '../../tests/vitest-mock-warn'
 
 describe('Tree', () => {
   const RESOLVED_OPTIONS = resolveOptions(DEFAULT_OPTIONS)
+  mockWarn()
+
   it('creates an empty tree', () => {
     const tree = new PrefixTree(RESOLVED_OPTIONS)
     expect(tree.children.size).toBe(0)
@@ -437,6 +440,81 @@ describe('Tree', () => {
     expect(child.fullPath).toBe('/a')
   })
 
+  it('strips groups from file paths', () => {
+    const tree = new PrefixTree(RESOLVED_OPTIONS)
+    tree.insert('(home)', '(home).vue')
+    let child = tree.children.get('(home)')!
+    expect(child).toBeDefined()
+    expect(child.path).toBe('/')
+    expect(child.fullPath).toBe('/')
+  })
+
+  it('strips groups from nested file paths', () => {
+    const tree = new PrefixTree(RESOLVED_OPTIONS)
+    tree.insert('nested/(home)', 'nested/(home).vue')
+    let child = tree.children.get('nested')!
+    expect(child).toBeDefined()
+
+    child = child.children.get('(home)')!
+    expect(child).toBeDefined()
+    expect(child.path).toBe('')
+    expect(child.fullPath).toBe('/nested')
+  })
+
+  it('strips groups in folders', () => {
+    const tree = new PrefixTree(RESOLVED_OPTIONS)
+    tree.insert('(group)/a', '(group)/a.vue')
+    tree.insert('(group)/index', '(group)/index.vue')
+
+    const group = tree.children.get('(group)')!
+    expect(group).toBeDefined()
+    expect(group.path).toBe('/')
+
+    const a = group.children.get('a')!
+    expect(a).toBeDefined()
+    expect(a.fullPath).toBe('/a')
+
+    const index = group.children.get('index')!
+    expect(index).toBeDefined()
+    expect(index.fullPath).toBe('/')
+  })
+
+  it('strips groups in nested folders', () => {
+    const tree = new PrefixTree(RESOLVED_OPTIONS)
+    tree.insert('nested/(nested-group)/a', 'nested/(nested-group)/a.vue')
+    tree.insert(
+      'nested/(nested-group)/index',
+      'nested/(nested-group)/index.vue'
+    )
+
+    const rootNode = tree.children.get('nested')!
+    expect(rootNode).toBeDefined()
+    expect(rootNode.path).toBe('/nested')
+
+    const nestedGroupNode = rootNode.children.get('(nested-group)')!
+    expect(nestedGroupNode).toBeDefined()
+    // nested groups have an empty path
+    expect(nestedGroupNode.path).toBe('')
+    expect(nestedGroupNode.fullPath).toBe('/nested')
+
+    const aNode = nestedGroupNode.children.get('a')!
+    expect(aNode).toBeDefined()
+    expect(aNode.fullPath).toBe('/nested/a')
+
+    const indexNode = nestedGroupNode.children.get('index')!
+    expect(indexNode).toBeDefined()
+    expect(indexNode.fullPath).toBe('/nested')
+  })
+
+  it('warns if the closing group is missing', () => {
+    const tree = new PrefixTree(RESOLVED_OPTIONS)
+    tree.insert('(home', '(home).vue')
+    expect(`"(home" is missing the closing ")"`).toHaveBeenWarned()
+  })
+
+  // TODO: check warns with different order
+  it.todo(`warns when a group's path conflicts with an existing file`)
+
   describe('dot nesting', () => {
     it('transforms dots into nested routes by default', () => {
       const tree = new PrefixTree(RESOLVED_OPTIONS)
diff --git a/src/core/treeNodeValue.ts b/src/core/treeNodeValue.ts
index 1733629de..2812537c3 100644
--- a/src/core/treeNodeValue.ts
+++ b/src/core/treeNodeValue.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 import type { RouteRecordRaw } from 'vue-router'
 import { CustomRouteBlock } from './customBlock'
-import { joinPath, mergeRouteRecordOverride } from './utils'
+import { joinPath, mergeRouteRecordOverride, warn } from './utils'
 
 export const enum TreeNodeType {
   static,
+  group,
   param,
 }
 
@@ -90,6 +91,10 @@ class _TreeNodeValueBase {
     return this._type === TreeNodeType.static
   }
 
+  isGroup(): this is TreeNodeValueGroup {
+    return this._type === TreeNodeType.group
+  }
+
   get overrides() {
     return [...this._overrides.entries()]
       .sort(([nameA], [nameB]) =>
@@ -177,6 +182,21 @@ export class TreeNodeValueStatic extends _TreeNodeValueBase {
   }
 }
 
+export class TreeNodeValueGroup extends _TreeNodeValueBase {
+  override _type: TreeNodeType.group = TreeNodeType.group
+  groupName: string
+
+  constructor(
+    rawSegment: string,
+    parent: TreeNodeValue | undefined,
+    pathSegment: string,
+    groupName: string
+  ) {
+    super(rawSegment, parent, pathSegment)
+    this.groupName = groupName
+  }
+}
+
 export interface TreeRouteParam {
   paramName: string
   modifier: string
@@ -201,7 +221,10 @@ export class TreeNodeValueParam extends _TreeNodeValueBase {
   }
 }
 
-export type TreeNodeValue = TreeNodeValueStatic | TreeNodeValueParam
+export type TreeNodeValue =
+  | TreeNodeValueStatic
+  | TreeNodeValueParam
+  | TreeNodeValueGroup
 
 export interface TreeNodeValueOptions extends ParseSegmentOptions {
   /**
@@ -231,7 +254,7 @@ function resolveTreeNodeValueOptions(
 }
 
 /**
- * Creates a new TreeNodeValue based on the segment. The result can be a static segment or a param segment.
+ * Creates a new TreeNodeValue based on the segment. The result can be a static segment, group segment or a param segment.
  *
  * @param segment - path segment
  * @param parent - parent node
@@ -249,6 +272,33 @@ export function createTreeNodeValue(
   // ensure default options
   const options = resolveTreeNodeValueOptions(opts)
 
+  // extract the group between parentheses
+  const openingPar = segment.indexOf('(')
+
+  // only apply to files, not to manually added routes
+  if (options.format === 'file' && openingPar >= 0) {
+    let groupName: string
+
+    const closingPar = segment.lastIndexOf(')')
+    if (closingPar < 0 || closingPar < openingPar) {
+      warn(
+        `Segment "${segment}" is missing the closing ")". It will be treated as a static segment.`
+      )
+
+      // avoid parsing errors
+      return new TreeNodeValueStatic(segment, parent, segment)
+    }
+
+    groupName = segment.slice(openingPar + 1, closingPar)
+    const before = segment.slice(0, openingPar)
+    const after = segment.slice(closingPar + 1)
+
+    if (!before && !after) {
+      // pure group: no contribution to the path
+      return new TreeNodeValueGroup(segment, parent, '', groupName)
+    }
+  }
+
   const [pathSegment, params, subSegments] =
     options.format === 'path'
       ? parseRawPathSegment(segment)