Lemongrass [Cymbopogon flexuosus (Nees ex Steud.) Will. Watson] is a key aromatic crop cultivated in arid and semi-arid regions, where salinity increasingly limits productivity. A study was conducted to elucidate the genotypic variability for salinity stress tolerance with five genotypes. The plant was raised in pots under controlled conditions three levels of salinity stress viz., S0 (control, EC 1.06 dS m-1), S1 (EC 8.5 dS m-1), and S2 (EC 12.5 dS m-1). Salinity stress significantly affected the Standard Evaluation Score, ionic balance, proline accumulation, leaf water potential, ROS scavenging activity, chlorophyll fluorescence, and gas exchange traits in all the five genotypes. Residual salinity effects persisted up to 90 days after treatment and resulted in reduced biomass, root volume, and oil content. Amon the five genotypes, DLS 1 outperformed consistently and maintained lowest root and leaf Na+/K+ ratios through efficient ion exclusion, which resulted in lower reductions in yield losses as compared to susceptible genotypes like CKP 25. In general, oil yield decreased under salinity stress in all the genotypes. The genotype DLS 1 exhibited effective ion exclusion mechanism and could be considered as a promising genetic resource for breeding program focussing on developing salinity-tolerant lemongrass cultivars for sustainable production in salinity-affected regions.