diff --git a/src/_pytest/recwarn.py b/src/_pytest/recwarn.py
index 7e772aa35..19e3938c3 100644
--- a/src/_pytest/recwarn.py
+++ b/src/_pytest/recwarn.py
@@ -1,11 +1,23 @@
 """ recording warnings during test function execution. """
-import inspect
 import re
 import warnings
+from types import TracebackType
+from typing import Any
+from typing import Callable
+from typing import Iterator
+from typing import List
+from typing import Optional
+from typing import overload
+from typing import Pattern
+from typing import Tuple
+from typing import Union
 
 from _pytest.fixtures import yield_fixture
 from _pytest.outcomes import fail
 
+if False:  # TYPE_CHECKING
+    from typing import Type
+
 
 @yield_fixture
 def recwarn():
@@ -42,7 +54,32 @@ def deprecated_call(func=None, *args, **kwargs):
     return warns((DeprecationWarning, PendingDeprecationWarning), *args, **kwargs)
 
 
-def warns(expected_warning, *args, match=None, **kwargs):
+@overload
+def warns(
+    expected_warning: Union["Type[Warning]", Tuple["Type[Warning]", ...]],
+    *,
+    match: Optional[Union[str, Pattern]] = ...
+) -> "WarningsChecker":
+    ...  # pragma: no cover
+
+
+@overload
+def warns(
+    expected_warning: Union["Type[Warning]", Tuple["Type[Warning]", ...]],
+    func: Callable,
+    *args: Any,
+    match: Optional[Union[str, Pattern]] = ...,
+    **kwargs: Any
+) -> Union[Any]:
+    ...  # pragma: no cover
+
+
+def warns(
+    expected_warning: Union["Type[Warning]", Tuple["Type[Warning]", ...]],
+    *args: Any,
+    match: Optional[Union[str, Pattern]] = None,
+    **kwargs: Any
+) -> Union["WarningsChecker", Any]:
     r"""Assert that code raises a particular class of warning.
 
     Specifically, the parameter ``expected_warning`` can be a warning class or
@@ -101,26 +138,26 @@ class WarningsRecorder(warnings.catch_warnings):
     def __init__(self):
         super().__init__(record=True)
         self._entered = False
-        self._list = []
+        self._list = []  # type: List[warnings._Record]
 
     @property
-    def list(self):
+    def list(self) -> List["warnings._Record"]:
         """The list of recorded warnings."""
         return self._list
 
-    def __getitem__(self, i):
+    def __getitem__(self, i: int) -> "warnings._Record":
         """Get a recorded warning by index."""
         return self._list[i]
 
-    def __iter__(self):
+    def __iter__(self) -> Iterator["warnings._Record"]:
         """Iterate through the recorded warnings."""
         return iter(self._list)
 
-    def __len__(self):
+    def __len__(self) -> int:
         """The number of recorded warnings."""
         return len(self._list)
 
-    def pop(self, cls=Warning):
+    def pop(self, cls: "Type[Warning]" = Warning) -> "warnings._Record":
         """Pop the first recorded warning, raise exception if not exists."""
         for i, w in enumerate(self._list):
             if issubclass(w.category, cls):
@@ -128,54 +165,80 @@ class WarningsRecorder(warnings.catch_warnings):
         __tracebackhide__ = True
         raise AssertionError("%r not found in warning list" % cls)
 
-    def clear(self):
+    def clear(self) -> None:
         """Clear the list of recorded warnings."""
         self._list[:] = []
 
-    def __enter__(self):
+    # Type ignored because it doesn't exactly warnings.catch_warnings.__enter__
+    # -- it returns a List but we only emulate one.
+    def __enter__(self) -> "WarningsRecorder":  # type: ignore
         if self._entered:
             __tracebackhide__ = True
             raise RuntimeError("Cannot enter %r twice" % self)
-        self._list = super().__enter__()
+        _list = super().__enter__()
+        # record=True means it's None.
+        assert _list is not None
+        self._list = _list
         warnings.simplefilter("always")
         return self
 
-    def __exit__(self, *exc_info):
+    def __exit__(
+        self,
+        exc_type: Optional["Type[BaseException]"],
+        exc_val: Optional[BaseException],
+        exc_tb: Optional[TracebackType],
+    ) -> bool:
         if not self._entered:
             __tracebackhide__ = True
             raise RuntimeError("Cannot exit %r without entering first" % self)
 
-        super().__exit__(*exc_info)
+        super().__exit__(exc_type, exc_val, exc_tb)
 
         # Built-in catch_warnings does not reset entered state so we do it
         # manually here for this context manager to become reusable.
         self._entered = False
 
+        return False
+
 
 class WarningsChecker(WarningsRecorder):
-    def __init__(self, expected_warning=None, match_expr=None):
+    def __init__(
+        self,
+        expected_warning: Optional[
+            Union["Type[Warning]", Tuple["Type[Warning]", ...]]
+        ] = None,
+        match_expr: Optional[Union[str, Pattern]] = None,
+    ) -> None:
         super().__init__()
 
         msg = "exceptions must be derived from Warning, not %s"
-        if isinstance(expected_warning, tuple):
+        if expected_warning is None:
+            expected_warning_tup = None
+        elif isinstance(expected_warning, tuple):
             for exc in expected_warning:
-                if not inspect.isclass(exc):
+                if not issubclass(exc, Warning):
                     raise TypeError(msg % type(exc))
-        elif inspect.isclass(expected_warning):
-            expected_warning = (expected_warning,)
-        elif expected_warning is not None:
+            expected_warning_tup = expected_warning
+        elif issubclass(expected_warning, Warning):
+            expected_warning_tup = (expected_warning,)
+        else:
             raise TypeError(msg % type(expected_warning))
 
-        self.expected_warning = expected_warning
+        self.expected_warning = expected_warning_tup
         self.match_expr = match_expr
 
-    def __exit__(self, *exc_info):
-        super().__exit__(*exc_info)
+    def __exit__(
+        self,
+        exc_type: Optional["Type[BaseException]"],
+        exc_val: Optional[BaseException],
+        exc_tb: Optional[TracebackType],
+    ) -> bool:
+        super().__exit__(exc_type, exc_val, exc_tb)
 
         __tracebackhide__ = True
 
         # only check if we're not currently handling an exception
-        if all(a is None for a in exc_info):
+        if exc_type is None and exc_val is None and exc_tb is None:
             if self.expected_warning is not None:
                 if not any(issubclass(r.category, self.expected_warning) for r in self):
                     __tracebackhide__ = True
@@ -200,3 +263,4 @@ class WarningsChecker(WarningsRecorder):
                                 [each.message for each in self],
                             )
                         )
+        return False