diff --git a/packages/docusaurus/src/server/themes/__tests__/index.test.ts b/packages/docusaurus/src/server/themes/__tests__/index.test.ts
index 7ce9e042f4..157ec169d3 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus/src/server/themes/__tests__/index.test.ts
+++ b/packages/docusaurus/src/server/themes/__tests__/index.test.ts
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ describe('loadThemeAliases', () => {
     const theme1Path = path.join(fixtures, 'theme-1');
     const theme2Path = path.join(fixtures, 'theme-2');
 
-    const alias = loadThemeAliases([theme1Path, theme2Path]);
+    const alias = loadThemeAliases([theme1Path, theme2Path], []);
 
     // Testing entries, because order matters!
     expect(Object.entries(alias)).toEqual(
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus/src/server/themes/index.ts b/packages/docusaurus/src/server/themes/index.ts
index 37cecdc9ca..cc92463678 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus/src/server/themes/index.ts
+++ b/packages/docusaurus/src/server/themes/index.ts
@@ -12,34 +12,31 @@ import themeAlias, {sortAliases} from './alias';
 
 const ThemeFallbackDir = path.resolve(__dirname, '../../client/theme-fallback');
 
-function buildThemeAliases(
-  themeAliases: ThemeAliases,
-  aliases: ThemeAliases = {},
-): ThemeAliases {
-  Object.keys(themeAliases).forEach((aliasKey) => {
-    if (aliasKey in aliases) {
-      const componentName = aliasKey.substring(aliasKey.indexOf('/') + 1);
-      aliases[`@theme-init/${componentName}`] = aliases[aliasKey];
-    }
-    aliases[aliasKey] = themeAliases[aliasKey];
-  });
-  return aliases;
-}
-
 export function loadThemeAliases(
   themePaths: string[],
-  userThemePaths: string[] = [],
+  userThemePaths: string[],
 ): ThemeAliases {
-  let aliases = {}; // TODO refactor, inelegant side-effect
+  const aliases: ThemeAliases = {};
 
   themePaths.forEach((themePath) => {
     const themeAliases = themeAlias(themePath, true);
-    aliases = {...aliases, ...buildThemeAliases(themeAliases, aliases)};
+    Object.keys(themeAliases).forEach((aliasKey) => {
+      // If this alias shadows a previous one, use @theme-init to preserve the initial one.
+      // @theme-init is only applied once: to the initial theme that provided this component
+      if (aliasKey in aliases) {
+        const componentName = aliasKey.substring(aliasKey.indexOf('/') + 1);
+        const initAlias = `@theme-init/${componentName}`;
+        if (!(initAlias in aliases)) {
+          aliases[initAlias] = aliases[aliasKey];
+        }
+      }
+      aliases[aliasKey] = themeAliases[aliasKey];
+    });
   });
 
   userThemePaths.forEach((themePath) => {
     const userThemeAliases = themeAlias(themePath, false);
-    aliases = {...aliases, ...buildThemeAliases(userThemeAliases, aliases)};
+    Object.assign(aliases, userThemeAliases);
   });
 
   return sortAliases(aliases);
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus/src/webpack/__tests__/__fixtures__/base_test_site/pluginThemeFolder/PluginThemeComponentOverridden.js b/packages/docusaurus/src/webpack/__tests__/__fixtures__/base_test_site/pluginThemeFolder/PluginThemeComponentEnhanced.js
similarity index 100%
rename from packages/docusaurus/src/webpack/__tests__/__fixtures__/base_test_site/pluginThemeFolder/PluginThemeComponentOverridden.js
rename to packages/docusaurus/src/webpack/__tests__/__fixtures__/base_test_site/pluginThemeFolder/PluginThemeComponentEnhanced.js
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus/src/webpack/__tests__/__fixtures__/base_test_site/src/theme/PluginThemeComponentOverridden.js b/packages/docusaurus/src/webpack/__tests__/__fixtures__/base_test_site/pluginThemeFolder/PluginThemeComponentOverriddenByUser.js
similarity index 100%
rename from packages/docusaurus/src/webpack/__tests__/__fixtures__/base_test_site/src/theme/PluginThemeComponentOverridden.js
rename to packages/docusaurus/src/webpack/__tests__/__fixtures__/base_test_site/pluginThemeFolder/PluginThemeComponentOverriddenByUser.js
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus/src/webpack/__tests__/__fixtures__/base_test_site/secondPluginThemeFolder/PluginThemeComponentEnhanced.js b/packages/docusaurus/src/webpack/__tests__/__fixtures__/base_test_site/secondPluginThemeFolder/PluginThemeComponentEnhanced.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e69de29bb2
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus/src/webpack/__tests__/__fixtures__/base_test_site/src/theme/PluginThemeComponentEnhanced.js b/packages/docusaurus/src/webpack/__tests__/__fixtures__/base_test_site/src/theme/PluginThemeComponentEnhanced.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e69de29bb2
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus/src/webpack/__tests__/__fixtures__/base_test_site/src/theme/PluginThemeComponentOverriddenByUser.js b/packages/docusaurus/src/webpack/__tests__/__fixtures__/base_test_site/src/theme/PluginThemeComponentOverriddenByUser.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e69de29bb2
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus/src/webpack/__tests__/__snapshots__/base.test.ts.snap b/packages/docusaurus/src/webpack/__tests__/__snapshots__/base.test.ts.snap
index 1a92081d41..623fa86a83 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus/src/webpack/__tests__/__snapshots__/base.test.ts.snap
+++ b/packages/docusaurus/src/webpack/__tests__/__snapshots__/base.test.ts.snap
@@ -23,13 +23,14 @@ Object {
   "@docusaurus/useIsBrowser": "../../../../client/exports/useIsBrowser.ts",
   "@generated": "../../../../../../..",
   "@site": "",
-  "@theme-init/PluginThemeComponentOverridden": "pluginThemeFolder/PluginThemeComponentOverridden.js",
+  "@theme-init/PluginThemeComponentEnhanced": "pluginThemeFolder/PluginThemeComponentEnhanced.js",
   "@theme-original/Error": "../../../../client/theme-fallback/Error/index.js",
   "@theme-original/Layout": "../../../../client/theme-fallback/Layout/index.js",
   "@theme-original/Loading": "../../../../client/theme-fallback/Loading/index.js",
   "@theme-original/NotFound": "../../../../client/theme-fallback/NotFound/index.js",
   "@theme-original/PluginThemeComponent1": "pluginThemeFolder/PluginThemeComponent1.js",
-  "@theme-original/PluginThemeComponentOverridden": "pluginThemeFolder/PluginThemeComponentOverridden.js",
+  "@theme-original/PluginThemeComponentEnhanced": "secondPluginThemeFolder/PluginThemeComponentEnhanced.js",
+  "@theme-original/PluginThemeComponentOverriddenByUser": "pluginThemeFolder/PluginThemeComponentOverriddenByUser.js",
   "@theme-original/Root": "../../../../client/theme-fallback/Root/index.js",
   "@theme-original/subfolder/PluginThemeComponent2": "pluginThemeFolder/subfolder/PluginThemeComponent2.js",
   "@theme/Error": "../../../../client/theme-fallback/Error/index.js",
@@ -37,7 +38,8 @@ Object {
   "@theme/Loading": "../../../../client/theme-fallback/Loading/index.js",
   "@theme/NotFound": "../../../../client/theme-fallback/NotFound/index.js",
   "@theme/PluginThemeComponent1": "pluginThemeFolder/PluginThemeComponent1.js",
-  "@theme/PluginThemeComponentOverridden": "src/theme/PluginThemeComponentOverridden.js",
+  "@theme/PluginThemeComponentEnhanced": "src/theme/PluginThemeComponentEnhanced.js",
+  "@theme/PluginThemeComponentOverriddenByUser": "src/theme/PluginThemeComponentOverriddenByUser.js",
   "@theme/Root": "../../../../client/theme-fallback/Root/index.js",
   "@theme/UserThemeComponent1": "src/theme/UserThemeComponent1.js",
   "@theme/subfolder/PluginThemeComponent2": "pluginThemeFolder/subfolder/PluginThemeComponent2.js",
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus/src/webpack/__tests__/base.test.ts b/packages/docusaurus/src/webpack/__tests__/base.test.ts
index 7d2af48b4b..564395e812 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus/src/webpack/__tests__/base.test.ts
+++ b/packages/docusaurus/src/webpack/__tests__/base.test.ts
@@ -103,6 +103,16 @@ describe('base webpack config', () => {
           );
         },
       },
+      {
+        getThemePath() {
+          return path.resolve(
+            __dirname,
+            '__fixtures__',
+            'base_test_site',
+            'secondPluginThemeFolder',
+          );
+        },
+      },
     ],
   };
 
diff --git a/website/docs/using-themes.md b/website/docs/using-themes.md
index 85633ea551..77e9f4a71d 100644
--- a/website/docs/using-themes.md
+++ b/website/docs/using-themes.md
@@ -182,6 +182,34 @@ Unless you want publish to npm a "theme enhancer" (like `docusaurus-theme-live-c
 
 :::
 
+<details>
+
+<summary>How are theme aliases resolved?</summary>
+
+It can be quite hard to wrap your mind around these aliases. Let's imagine the following case with a super convoluted setup where three themes/plugins and the site itself all try to define the same component. Internally, Docusaurus loads these themes as a "stack".
+
+```text
++-------------------------------------------------+
+|        `website/src/theme/CodeBlock.js`         | <-- `@theme/CodeBlock` always points to the top
++-------------------------------------------------+
+| `theme-live-codeblock/theme/CodeBlock/index.js` | <-- `@theme-original/CodeBlock` points to the topmost non-swizzled component
++-------------------------------------------------+
+|  `plugin-awesome-codeblock/theme/CodeBlock.js`  |
++-------------------------------------------------+
+|     `theme-classic/theme/CodeBlock/index.js`    | <-- `@theme-init/CodeBlock` always points to the bottom
++-------------------------------------------------+
+```
+
+The components in this "stack" are pushed in the order of `preset plugins > preset themes > plugins > themes > site`, so the swizzled component in `website/src/theme` always comes out on top because it's loaded last.
+
+`@theme/*` always points to the topmost component—when code block is swizzled, all other components requesting `@theme/CodeBlock` receive the swizzled version.
+
+`@theme-original/*` always points to the topmost non-swizzled component. That's why you can import `@theme-original/CodeBlock` in the swizzled component—it points to the next one in the "component stack", a theme-provided one. Plugin authors should not try to use this because your component could be the topmost component and cause a self-import.
+
+`@theme-init/*` always points to the bottommost component—usually this comes from the theme or plugin that first provides this component. Individual plugins / themes trying to enhance code block can safely use `@theme-init/CodeBlock` to get its basic version. Site creators should generally not use this because you likely want to enhance the _topmost_ instead of the _bottommost_ component. It's also possible that the `@theme-init/CodeBlock` alias does not exist at all—Docusaurus only creates it when it points to a different one from `@theme-original/CodeBlock`, i.e. when it's provided by more than one theme. We don't waste aliases!
+
+</details>
+
 ## Themes design {#themes-design}
 
 While themes share the exact same lifecycle methods with plugins, their implementations can look very different from those of plugins based on themes' designed objectives.
diff --git a/website/src/theme/CodeBlock/index.tsx b/website/src/theme/CodeBlock/index.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..dd5aedfc18
--- /dev/null
+++ b/website/src/theme/CodeBlock/index.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (c) Facebook, Inc. and its affiliates.
+ *
+ * This source code is licensed under the MIT license found in the
+ * LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree.
+ */
+
+import React from 'react';
+import type {Props} from '@theme/CodeBlock';
+import CodeBlock from '@theme-original/CodeBlock';
+
+// This component does nothing on purpose
+// Dogfood: wrapping a theme component already enhanced by another theme
+// See https://github.com/facebook/docusaurus/pull/5983
+export default function CodeBlockWrapper(props: Props): JSX.Element {
+  return <CodeBlock {...props} />;
+}