diff --git a/docs/source/plugin.rst b/docs/source/plugin.rst
index c8422fbb42..fbbf60486d 100644
--- a/docs/source/plugin.rst
+++ b/docs/source/plugin.rst
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ Plugin glossary
 
    Entry point plugin
       A plugin that is an installed Python package and exposed through the
-      ``sopel.plugins`` setuptools entry point.
+      ``sopel.plugins`` entry point group.
 
    Sopelunking
       Action performed by a :term:`Sopelunker`.
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 9937ec9c3b..f2492374ae 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -5,3 +5,5 @@ geoip2>=4.0,<5.0
 requests>=2.24.0,<3.0.0
 dnspython<3.0
 sqlalchemy>=1.4,<1.5
+importlib_metadata>=3.6; python_version < '3.10'
+packaging
diff --git a/sopel/__init__.py b/sopel/__init__.py
index b5ad956c3b..82b8f0a0c4 100644
--- a/sopel/__init__.py
+++ b/sopel/__init__.py
@@ -16,7 +16,11 @@
 import re
 import sys
 
-import pkg_resources
+try:
+    import importlib.metadata as importlib_metadata
+except ImportError:
+    # TODO: remove fallback when dropping py3.7
+    import importlib_metadata
 
 __all__ = [
     'bot',
@@ -41,7 +45,7 @@
           'something like "en_US.UTF-8".', file=sys.stderr)
 
 
-__version__ = pkg_resources.get_distribution('sopel').version
+__version__ = importlib_metadata.version('sopel')
 
 
 def _version_info(version=__version__):
diff --git a/sopel/lifecycle.py b/sopel/lifecycle.py
index a0cdb8e0e4..cbc51ce094 100644
--- a/sopel/lifecycle.py
+++ b/sopel/lifecycle.py
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 import traceback
 from typing import Callable, Optional
 
-from pkg_resources import parse_version
+from packaging.version import parse as parse_version
 
 from sopel import __version__
 
diff --git a/sopel/plugins/__init__.py b/sopel/plugins/__init__.py
index 86e1db00c1..6a59149a6a 100644
--- a/sopel/plugins/__init__.py
+++ b/sopel/plugins/__init__.py
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 
 * extra directories defined in the settings
 * homedir's ``plugins`` directory
-* ``sopel.plugins`` setuptools entry points
+* ``sopel.plugins`` entry point group
 * ``sopel_modules``'s subpackages
 * ``sopel.modules``'s core plugins
 
@@ -33,7 +33,12 @@
 import itertools
 import os
 
-import pkg_resources
+try:
+    import importlib_metadata
+except ImportError:
+    # TODO: use stdlib only when possible, after dropping py3.9
+    # stdlib does not support `entry_points(group='filter')` until py3.10
+    import importlib.metadata as importlib_metadata
 
 from . import exceptions, handlers, rules  # noqa
 
@@ -93,17 +98,17 @@ def find_sopel_modules_plugins():
 
 
 def find_entry_point_plugins(group='sopel.plugins'):
-    """List plugins from a setuptools entry point group.
+    """List plugins from an entry point group.
 
-    :param str group: setuptools entry point group to look for
-                      (defaults to ``sopel.plugins``)
+    :param str group: entry point group to search in (defaults to
+                      ``sopel.plugins``)
     :return: yield instances of :class:`~.handlers.EntryPointPlugin`
-             created from setuptools entry point given ``group``
+             created from each entry point in the ``group``
 
-    This function finds plugins declared under a setuptools entry point; by
-    default it uses the ``sopel.plugins`` entry point.
+    This function finds plugins declared under an entry point group; by
+    default it looks in the ``sopel.plugins`` group.
     """
-    for entry_point in pkg_resources.iter_entry_points(group):
+    for entry_point in importlib_metadata.entry_points(group=group):
         yield handlers.EntryPointPlugin(entry_point)
 
 
@@ -139,7 +144,7 @@ def enumerate_plugins(settings):
 
         * :func:`find_internal_plugins` for internal plugins
         * :func:`find_sopel_modules_plugins` for ``sopel_modules.*`` plugins
-        * :func:`find_entry_point_plugins` for plugins exposed by setuptools
+        * :func:`find_entry_point_plugins` for plugins exposed via packages'
           entry points
         * :func:`find_directory_plugins` for plugins in ``$homedir/plugins``,
           and in extra directories as defined by ``settings.core.extra``
@@ -201,7 +206,7 @@ def get_usable_plugins(settings):
 
     * extra directories defined in the settings
     * homedir's ``plugins`` directory
-    * ``sopel.plugins`` setuptools entry points
+    * ``sopel.plugins`` entry point group
     * ``sopel_modules``'s subpackages
     * ``sopel.modules``'s core plugins
 
diff --git a/sopel/plugins/handlers.py b/sopel/plugins/handlers.py
index f2195d315d..c16d7852fb 100644
--- a/sopel/plugins/handlers.py
+++ b/sopel/plugins/handlers.py
@@ -18,13 +18,13 @@
 
 At the moment, three types of plugin are handled:
 
-* :class:`PyModulePlugin`: manage plugins that can be imported as Python
+* :class:`PyModulePlugin`: manages plugins that can be imported as Python
   module from a Python package, i.e. where ``from package import name`` works
-* :class:`PyFilePlugin`: manage plugins that are Python files on the filesystem
+* :class:`PyFilePlugin`: manages plugins that are Python files on the filesystem
   or Python directory (with an ``__init__.py`` file inside), that cannot be
   directly imported and extra steps are necessary
-* :class:`EntryPointPlugin`: manage plugins that are declared by a setuptools
-  entry point; other than that, it behaves like a :class:`PyModulePlugin`
+* :class:`EntryPointPlugin`: manages plugins that are declared by an entry
+  point; it otherwise behaves like a :class:`PyModulePlugin`
 
 All expose the same interface and thereby abstract the internal implementation
 away from the rest of the application.
@@ -512,17 +512,17 @@ def reload(self):
 
 
 class EntryPointPlugin(PyModulePlugin):
-    """Sopel plugin loaded from a ``setuptools`` entry point.
+    """Sopel plugin loaded from an entry point.
 
-    :param entry_point: a ``setuptools`` entry point object
+    :param entry_point: an entry point object
 
-    This handler loads a Sopel plugin exposed by a ``setuptools`` entry point.
-    It expects to be able to load a module object from the entry point, and to
+    This handler loads a Sopel plugin exposed by a package's entry point. It
+    expects to be able to load a module object from the entry point, and to
     work as a :class:`~.PyModulePlugin` from that module.
 
-    By default, Sopel uses the entry point ``sopel.plugins``. To use that for
-    their plugin, developers must define an entry point either in their
-    ``setup.py`` file or their ``setup.cfg`` file::
+    By default, Sopel searches within the entry point group ``sopel.plugins``.
+    To use that for their own plugins, developers must define an entry point
+    either in their ``setup.py`` file or their ``setup.cfg`` file::
 
         # in setup.py file
         setup(
@@ -537,11 +537,11 @@ class EntryPointPlugin(PyModulePlugin):
 
     And this plugin can be loaded with::
 
-        >>> from pkg_resources import iter_entry_points
+        >>> from importlib_metadata import entry_points
         >>> from sopel.plugins.handlers import EntryPointPlugin
         >>> plugin = [
         ...     EntryPointPlugin(ep)
-        ...     for ep in iter_entry_points('sopel.plugins', 'custom')
+        ...     for ep in entry_points(group='sopel.plugins', name='custom')
         ... ][0]
         >>> plugin.load()
         >>> plugin.name
@@ -556,10 +556,13 @@ class EntryPointPlugin(PyModulePlugin):
         Sopel uses the :func:`~sopel.plugins.find_entry_point_plugins` function
         internally to search entry points.
 
-        Entry point is a `standard feature of setuptools`__ for Python, used
-        by other applications (like ``pytest``) for their plugins.
+        Entry points are a `standard packaging mechanism`__ for Python, used by
+        other applications (such as ``pytest``) for their plugins.
 
-        .. __: https://setuptools.readthedocs.io/en/stable/setuptools.html#dynamic-discovery-of-services-and-plugins
+        The ``importlib_metadata`` backport package is used on Python versions
+        older than 3.10, but its API is the same as :mod:`importlib.metadata`.
+
+        .. __: https://packaging.python.org/en/latest/specifications/entry-points/
 
     """
 
@@ -583,9 +586,8 @@ def get_meta_description(self):
         :return: meta description information
         :rtype: :class:`dict`
 
-        This returns the same keys as
-        :meth:`PyModulePlugin.get_meta_description`; the ``source`` key is
-        modified to contain the setuptools entry point::
+        This returns the output of :meth:`PyModulePlugin.get_meta_description`
+        but with the ``source`` key modified to reference the entry point::
 
             {
                 'name': 'example',
@@ -598,6 +600,6 @@ def get_meta_description(self):
         """
         data = super().get_meta_description()
         data.update({
-            'source': str(self.entry_point),
+            'source': self.entry_point.name + ' = ' + self.entry_point.value,
         })
         return data
diff --git a/test/plugins/test_plugins_handlers.py b/test/plugins/test_plugins_handlers.py
index 188a96e0dd..1bc26fcd3c 100644
--- a/test/plugins/test_plugins_handlers.py
+++ b/test/plugins/test_plugins_handlers.py
@@ -4,9 +4,14 @@
 import os
 import sys
 
-import pkg_resources
 import pytest
 
+try:
+    import importlib.metadata as importlib_metadata
+except ImportError:
+    # TODO: remove fallback when dropping py3.9
+    import importlib_metadata
+
 from sopel.plugins import handlers
 
 
@@ -62,15 +67,14 @@ def test_get_label_pyfile_loaded(plugin_tmpfile):
 
 
 def test_get_label_entrypoint(plugin_tmpfile):
-    # generate setuptools Distribution object
+    # set up for manual load/import
     distrib_dir = os.path.dirname(plugin_tmpfile.strpath)
-    distrib = pkg_resources.Distribution(distrib_dir)
     sys.path.append(distrib_dir)
 
     # load the entry point
     try:
-        entry_point = pkg_resources.EntryPoint(
-            'test_plugin', 'file_mod', dist=distrib)
+        entry_point = importlib_metadata.EntryPoint(
+            'test_plugin', 'file_mod', 'sopel.plugins')
         plugin = handlers.EntryPointPlugin(entry_point)
         plugin.load()
     finally:
diff --git a/test/test_plugins.py b/test/test_plugins.py
index 7110c1dc07..ced8914988 100644
--- a/test/test_plugins.py
+++ b/test/test_plugins.py
@@ -3,9 +3,14 @@
 
 import sys
 
-import pkg_resources
 import pytest
 
+try:
+    import importlib.metadata as importlib_metadata
+except ImportError:
+    # TODO: remove fallback when dropping py3.9
+    import importlib_metadata
+
 from sopel import plugins
 
 
@@ -132,14 +137,13 @@ def test_plugin_load_entry_point(tmpdir):
     mod_file = root.join('file_mod.py')
     mod_file.write(MOCK_MODULE_CONTENT)
 
-    # generate setuptools Distribution object
-    distrib = pkg_resources.Distribution(root.strpath)
+    # set up for manual load/import
     sys.path.append(root.strpath)
 
     # load the entry point
     try:
-        entry_point = pkg_resources.EntryPoint(
-            'test_plugin', 'file_mod', dist=distrib)
+        entry_point = importlib_metadata.EntryPoint(
+            'test_plugin', 'file_mod', 'sopel.plugins')
         plugin = plugins.handlers.EntryPointPlugin(entry_point)
         plugin.load()
     finally: