diff --git a/pyqtgraph/Qt.py b/pyqtgraph/Qt.py
index 410bfd83..4c15f670 100644
--- a/pyqtgraph/Qt.py
+++ b/pyqtgraph/Qt.py
@@ -11,25 +11,40 @@ This module exists to smooth out some of the differences between PySide and PyQt
 
 import sys, re
 
+PYSIDE = 0
+PYQT4 = 1
+PYQT5 = 2
+
+USE_QT_PY = None
+
 ## Automatically determine whether to use PyQt or PySide. 
 ## This is done by first checking to see whether one of the libraries
 ## is already imported. If not, then attempt to import PyQt4, then PySide.
 if 'PyQt4' in sys.modules:
-    USE_PYSIDE = False
+    USE_QT_PY = PYQT4
+if 'PyQt5' in sys.modules:
+    USE_QT_PY = PYQT5
 elif 'PySide' in sys.modules:
-    USE_PYSIDE = True
+    USE_QT_PY = PYSIDE
 else:
     try:
         import PyQt4
-        USE_PYSIDE = False
+        USE_QT_PY = PYQT4
     except ImportError:
         try:
-            import PySide
-            USE_PYSIDE = True
+            import PyQt5
+            USE_QT_PY = PYQT5
         except ImportError:
-            raise Exception("PyQtGraph requires either PyQt4 or PySide; neither package could be imported.")
+            try:
+                import PySide
+                USE_QT_PY = PYSIDE
+            except:
+                pass
 
-if USE_PYSIDE:
+if USE_QT_PY == None:
+    raise Exception("PyQtGraph requires one of PyQt4, PyQt5 or PySide; none of these packages could be imported.")
+
+if USE_QT_PY == PYSIDE:
     from PySide import QtGui, QtCore, QtOpenGL, QtSvg
     import PySide
     VERSION_INFO = 'PySide ' + PySide.__version__
@@ -64,9 +79,9 @@ if USE_PYSIDE:
             base_class = eval('QtGui.%s'%widget_class)
 
         return form_class, base_class
-    
-    
-else:
+
+elif USE_QT_PY == PYQT4:
+
     from PyQt4 import QtGui, QtCore, uic
     try:
         from PyQt4 import QtSvg
@@ -83,10 +98,36 @@ else:
     QtCore.Signal = QtCore.pyqtSignal
     VERSION_INFO = 'PyQt4 ' + QtCore.PYQT_VERSION_STR + ' Qt ' + QtCore.QT_VERSION_STR
 
-
+elif USE_QT_PY == PYQT5:
+    
+    # We're using PyQt5 which has a different structure so we're going to use a shim to
+    # recreate the Qt4 structure for Qt5
+    from PyQt5 import QtGui, QtCore, QtWidgets, Qt, uic
+    try:
+        from PyQt5 import QtSvg
+    except ImportError:
+        pass
+    try:
+        from PyQt5 import QtOpenGL
+    except ImportError:
+        pass
+    
+    QtGui.QApplication = QtWidgets.QApplication
+    QtGui.QGraphicsScene = QtWidgets.QGraphicsScene
+    QtGui.QGraphicsObject = QtWidgets.QGraphicsObject
+    QtGui.QGraphicsWidget = QGraphicsWidget5
+    QtGui.QApplication.setGraphicsSystem = None
+    QtCore.Signal = Qt.pyqtSignal
+    
+    # Import all QtWidgets objects into QtGui
+    for o in dir(QtWidgets):
+        if o.startswith('Q'):
+            setattr(QtGui, o, getattr(QtWidgets,o) )
+    
 ## Make sure we have Qt >= 4.7
 versionReq = [4, 7]
-QtVersion = PySide.QtCore.__version__ if USE_PYSIDE else QtCore.QT_VERSION_STR
+USE_PYSIDE = USE_QT_PY == PYSIDE # still needed internally elsewhere
+QtVersion = PySide.QtCore.__version__ if USE_QT_PY ==  PYSIDE else QtCore.QT_VERSION_STR
 m = re.match(r'(\d+)\.(\d+).*', QtVersion)
 if m is not None and list(map(int, m.groups())) < versionReq:
     print(list(map(int, m.groups())))
diff --git a/pyqtgraph/__init__.py b/pyqtgraph/__init__.py
index 588de0cd..f8951af7 100644
--- a/pyqtgraph/__init__.py
+++ b/pyqtgraph/__init__.py
@@ -41,7 +41,8 @@ elif 'darwin' in sys.platform: ## openGL can have a major impact on mac, but als
     useOpenGL = False
     if QtGui.QApplication.instance() is not None:
         print('Warning: QApplication was created before pyqtgraph was imported; there may be problems (to avoid bugs, call QApplication.setGraphicsSystem("raster") before the QApplication is created).')
-    QtGui.QApplication.setGraphicsSystem('raster')  ## work around a variety of bugs in the native graphics system 
+    if QtGui.QApplication.setGraphicsSystem:
+        QtGui.QApplication.setGraphicsSystem('raster')  ## work around a variety of bugs in the native graphics system 
 else:
     useOpenGL = False  ## on windows there's a more even performance / bugginess tradeoff. 
                 
diff --git a/pyqtgraph/graphicsItems/PlotItem/plotConfigTemplate_pyqt.py b/pyqtgraph/graphicsItems/PlotItem/plotConfigTemplate_pyqt.py
index e09c9978..a06519bf 100644
--- a/pyqtgraph/graphicsItems/PlotItem/plotConfigTemplate_pyqt.py
+++ b/pyqtgraph/graphicsItems/PlotItem/plotConfigTemplate_pyqt.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 #
 # WARNING! All changes made in this file will be lost!
 
-from PyQt4 import QtCore, QtGui
+from ...Qt import QtCore, QtGui
 
 try:
     _fromUtf8 = QtCore.QString.fromUtf8
diff --git a/pyqtgraph/graphicsItems/ViewBox/axisCtrlTemplate_pyqt.py b/pyqtgraph/graphicsItems/ViewBox/axisCtrlTemplate_pyqt.py
index d8ef1925..5d952741 100644
--- a/pyqtgraph/graphicsItems/ViewBox/axisCtrlTemplate_pyqt.py
+++ b/pyqtgraph/graphicsItems/ViewBox/axisCtrlTemplate_pyqt.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 #
 # WARNING! All changes made in this file will be lost!
 
-from PyQt4 import QtCore, QtGui
+from ...Qt import QtCore, QtGui
 
 try:
     _fromUtf8 = QtCore.QString.fromUtf8
diff --git a/pyqtgraph/imageview/ImageViewTemplate_pyqt.py b/pyqtgraph/imageview/ImageViewTemplate_pyqt.py
index 78156317..18b68e96 100644
--- a/pyqtgraph/imageview/ImageViewTemplate_pyqt.py
+++ b/pyqtgraph/imageview/ImageViewTemplate_pyqt.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 #
 # WARNING! All changes made in this file will be lost!
 
-from PyQt4 import QtCore, QtGui
+from ..Qt import QtCore, QtGui
 
 try:
     _fromUtf8 = QtCore.QString.fromUtf8