diff --git a/packages/engine.io/README.md b/packages/engine.io/README.md
index f33f788f4..0aed35a7e 100644
--- a/packages/engine.io/README.md
+++ b/packages/engine.io/README.md
@@ -299,6 +299,28 @@ to a single process.
       - `net.Stream`: TCP socket for the request
       - `Buffer`: legacy tail bytes
     - **Returns** `Server` for chaining
+    - **Attaching custom upgrade response headers**
+
+      When you call `Server#handleUpgrade` from your own `'upgrade'` listener
+      (see example (C) above), you can attach extra headers to the upgrade
+      response by setting `req[Symbol.for("engine.io:responseHeaders")]` to an
+      object before calling `handleUpgrade`. Each property is sent as an
+      HTTP header. Example for setting CORS headers without using the `cors`
+      option (which is incompatible with WebTransport):
+
+      ```js
+      const httpServer = require("http").createServer();
+
+      httpServer.on("upgrade", (req, socket, head) => {
+        if (req.url?.startsWith("/engine.io/")) {
+          req[Symbol.for("engine.io:responseHeaders")] = {
+            "Access-Control-Allow-Origin": req.headers.origin || "*",
+            "Access-Control-Allow-Credentials": "true",
+          };
+          engine.handleUpgrade(req, socket, head);
+        }
+      });
+      ```
 - `attach`
     - Attach this Server instance to an `http.Server`
     - Captures `upgrade` requests for a `http.Server`. In other words, makes
diff --git a/packages/engine.io/lib/server.ts b/packages/engine.io/lib/server.ts
index 2d2232572..4834c06eb 100644
--- a/packages/engine.io/lib/server.ts
+++ b/packages/engine.io/lib/server.ts
@@ -25,7 +25,11 @@ import { objectFromEntries } from "./utils/objectFromEntries";
 
 const debug = debugModule("engine");
 
-const kResponseHeaders = Symbol("responseHeaders");
+// Exposed via the runtime-shared `Symbol.for` registry so user code calling
+// `Server#handleUpgrade` directly can attach additional upgrade-response
+// headers (e.g. CORS headers when the `cors` middleware option is not used).
+// See https://github.com/socketio/socket.io/issues/5497.
+export const kResponseHeaders = Symbol.for("engine.io:responseHeaders");
 
 type TransportName = "polling" | "websocket" | "webtransport";
 
@@ -675,8 +679,10 @@ class WebSocketResponse {
     readonly req,
     readonly socket: Duplex,
   ) {
-    // temporarily store the response headers on the req object (see the "headers" event)
-    req[kResponseHeaders] = {};
+    // temporarily store the response headers on the req object (see the "headers" event).
+    // preserve any additional headers that the caller attached to the request before
+    // calling Server#handleUpgrade (see issue #5497).
+    req[kResponseHeaders] = { ...(req[kResponseHeaders] || {}) };
   }
 
   public setHeader(name: string, value: any) {
diff --git a/packages/engine.io/test/server.js b/packages/engine.io/test/server.js
index bbfa86068..37640d63b 100644
--- a/packages/engine.io/test/server.js
+++ b/packages/engine.io/test/server.js
@@ -3684,6 +3684,57 @@ describe("server", () => {
         });
       });
     });
+
+    it("should forward extra upgrade-response headers set via the shared-symbol hook", function (done) {
+      if (process.env.EIO_WS_ENGINE === "eiows") {
+        return this.skip();
+      }
+      // kResponseHeaders used to be a private Symbol unique to this module,
+      // so user code calling Server#handleUpgrade directly could not attach
+      // additional upgrade-response headers. See issue #5497.
+      const kResponseHeaders = Symbol.for("engine.io:responseHeaders");
+
+      const httpServer = http.createServer();
+      const localEngine = new Server();
+      let extraSeen = false;
+
+      // Capture the engine's emitted 'headers' payload once the upgrade is
+      // through. We only need to confirm the extra headers arrive; the
+      // handshake itself is validated by the connected client below.
+      localEngine.on("headers", (headers) => {
+        if (
+          headers["x-test-cors"] === "*" &&
+          headers["x-test-extra"] === "ok"
+        ) {
+          extraSeen = true;
+        }
+      });
+
+      httpServer.listen(0, () => {
+        const port = httpServer.address().port;
+
+        httpServer.on("upgrade", (req, socket, head) => {
+          if (req.url?.startsWith("/engine.io/")) {
+            req[kResponseHeaders] = {
+              "x-test-cors": "*",
+              "x-test-extra": "ok",
+            };
+            return localEngine.handleUpgrade(req, socket, head);
+          }
+        });
+
+        client = new ClientSocket(`ws://localhost:${port}`);
+
+        client.on("open", () => {
+          client.close();
+          httpServer.close(() => {
+            expect(extraSeen).to.be(true);
+            done();
+          });
+        });
+      });
+      engine = localEngine;
+    });
   });
 
   describe("cors", () => {