diff --git a/docs/designers-developers/developers/block-api/block-registration.md b/docs/designers-developers/developers/block-api/block-registration.md
index cab91e38c1de4f..432c6941eec404 100644
--- a/docs/designers-developers/developers/block-api/block-registration.md
+++ b/docs/designers-developers/developers/block-api/block-registration.md
@@ -259,6 +259,7 @@ An object describing a variation defined for the block type can contain the foll
 -   `name` (type `string`) – The unique and machine-readable name.
 -   `title` (type `string`) – A human-readable variation title.
 -   `description` (optional, type `string`) – A detailed variation description.
+-   `category` (optional, type `string`) - A category classification, used in search interfaces to arrange block types by category.
 -   `icon` (optional, type `string` | `Object`) – An icon helping to visualize the variation. It can have the same shape as the block type.
 -   `isDefault` (optional, type `boolean`) – Indicates whether the current variation is the default one. Defaults to `false`.
 -   `attributes` (optional, type `Object`) – Values that override block attributes.
diff --git a/packages/block-editor/src/components/inserter/search-items.js b/packages/block-editor/src/components/inserter/search-items.js
index dda44c44fe90cc..a896ba857a682a 100644
--- a/packages/block-editor/src/components/inserter/search-items.js
+++ b/packages/block-editor/src/components/inserter/search-items.js
@@ -71,19 +71,6 @@ export const searchBlockItems = (
 			find( categories, { slug: item.category } )?.title,
 		getCollection: ( item ) =>
 			collections[ item.name.split( '/' )[ 0 ] ]?.title,
-		getVariations: ( { variations = [] } ) =>
-			Array.from(
-				variations.reduce(
-					( accumulator, { title, keywords = [] } ) => {
-						accumulator.add( title );
-						keywords.forEach( ( keyword ) =>
-							accumulator.add( keyword )
-						);
-						return accumulator;
-					},
-					new Set()
-				)
-			),
 	};
 
 	return searchItems( items, searchInput, config );
diff --git a/packages/block-editor/src/store/selectors.js b/packages/block-editor/src/store/selectors.js
index dc9f27cfb3d066..921c8cd03b40be 100644
--- a/packages/block-editor/src/store/selectors.js
+++ b/packages/block-editor/src/store/selectors.js
@@ -1402,6 +1402,7 @@ const getItemFromVariation = ( item ) => ( variation ) => ( {
 	icon: variation.icon || item.icon,
 	title: variation.title || item.title,
 	description: variation.description || item.description,
+	category: variation.category || item.category,
 	// If `example` is explicitly undefined for the variation, the preview will not be shown.
 	example: variation.hasOwnProperty( 'example' )
 		? variation.example
diff --git a/packages/blocks/src/api/registration.js b/packages/blocks/src/api/registration.js
index 7c1ce2c1643384..8aa2f025410adf 100644
--- a/packages/blocks/src/api/registration.js
+++ b/packages/blocks/src/api/registration.js
@@ -82,6 +82,9 @@ import { store as blocksStore } from '../store';
  * @property {string}   name                   The unique and machine-readable name.
  * @property {string}   title                  A human-readable variation title.
  * @property {string}   [description]          A detailed variation description.
+ * @property {string}   [category]             Block type category classification,
+ *                                             used in search interfaces to arrange
+ *                                             block types by category.
  * @property {WPIcon}   [icon]                 An icon helping to visualize the variation.
  * @property {boolean}  [isDefault]            Indicates whether the current variation is
  *                                             the default one. Defaults to `false`.