Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) is a promising noninvasive technique for assessing cutaneous melanoma (CM). This review summarizes the current state of PAI applications in melanoma detection, including tumor depth measurement, angiogenesis, lymph node metastases, circulating tumor cells (CTCs), and virtual histology. PAI uses light absorption by chromophores (such as melanin and hemoglobin) and exogenous contrast agents to generate acoustic signals, which are then detected by ultrasound transducers and reconstructed into images. PAI offers advantages over other imaging modalities, including high sensitivity and specificity at greater imaging depths. It can be classified into PA macroscopy, mesoscopy, and microscopy based on resolution and penetration depth. PAI has been used in both animal and human studies to detect, visualize, and classify CM. PAI has shown potential in detecting melanoma depth, tumor angiogenesis, and metastases to lymph nodes. It can also perform fast, label-free histology and identify CTCs, aiding in early diagnosis and classification of CM. PAI has been used in various configurations, including photoacoustic computed tomography (PACT), acoustic-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (AR-PAM), and optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (OR-PAM). Multispectral PAI has been used to differentiate between chromophores such as melanin and hemoglobin. PAI has been applied in both ex vivo and in vivo studies to detect melanoma metastases to lymph nodes. PAI has also been used to detect CTCs in the bloodstream, with PA flow cytometry (PAFC) being a noninvasive method for this purpose. PAFC uses high-pulse-repetition-rate lasers to generate detectable PA signals from individual CTCs. PAI has shown high sensitivity and specificity in detecting melanoma and has the potential to improve early diagnosis and treatment monitoring of CM.Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) is a promising noninvasive technique for assessing cutaneous melanoma (CM). This review summarizes the current state of PAI applications in melanoma detection, including tumor depth measurement, angiogenesis, lymph node metastases, circulating tumor cells (CTCs), and virtual histology. PAI uses light absorption by chromophores (such as melanin and hemoglobin) and exogenous contrast agents to generate acoustic signals, which are then detected by ultrasound transducers and reconstructed into images. PAI offers advantages over other imaging modalities, including high sensitivity and specificity at greater imaging depths. It can be classified into PA macroscopy, mesoscopy, and microscopy based on resolution and penetration depth. PAI has been used in both animal and human studies to detect, visualize, and classify CM. PAI has shown potential in detecting melanoma depth, tumor angiogenesis, and metastases to lymph nodes. It can also perform fast, label-free histology and identify CTCs, aiding in early diagnosis and classification of CM. PAI has been used in various configurations, including photoacoustic computed tomography (PACT), acoustic-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (AR-PAM), and optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (OR-PAM). Multispectral PAI has been used to differentiate between chromophores such as melanin and hemoglobin. PAI has been applied in both ex vivo and in vivo studies to detect melanoma metastases to lymph nodes. PAI has also been used to detect CTCs in the bloodstream, with PA flow cytometry (PAFC) being a noninvasive method for this purpose. PAFC uses high-pulse-repetition-rate lasers to generate detectable PA signals from individual CTCs. PAI has shown high sensitivity and specificity in detecting melanoma and has the potential to improve early diagnosis and treatment monitoring of CM.