diff --git a/backbone.js b/backbone.js
index 02722ac81..ecbdecfcc 100644
--- a/backbone.js
+++ b/backbone.js
@@ -134,6 +134,9 @@
   // Regular expression used to split event strings.
   var eventSplitter = /\s+/;
 
+  // A private global variable to share between listeners and listenees.
+  var _listening;
+
   // Iterates over the standard `event, callback` (as well as the fancy multiple
   // space-separated events `"change blur", callback` and jQuery-style event
   // maps `{event: callback}`).
@@ -174,6 +177,10 @@
     if (listening) {
       var listeners = obj._listeners || (obj._listeners = {});
       listeners[listening.id] = listening;
+
+      // Allow the listening to use a counter, instead of tracking
+      // callbacks for library interop
+      _listening.interop = false;
     }
 
     return obj;
@@ -186,17 +193,23 @@
     if (!obj) return this;
     var id = obj._listenId || (obj._listenId = _.uniqueId('l'));
     var listeningTo = this._listeningTo || (this._listeningTo = {});
-    var listening = listeningTo[id];
+    var listening = _listening = listeningTo[id];
 
     // This object is not listening to any other events on `obj` yet.
     // Setup the necessary references to track the listening callbacks.
     if (!listening) {
       var thisId = this._listenId || (this._listenId = _.uniqueId('l'));
-      listening = listeningTo[id] = {obj: obj, objId: id, id: thisId, listeningTo: listeningTo, count: 0};
+      listening = _listening = listeningTo[id] = new Listening(this, obj);
     }
 
-    // Bind callbacks on obj, and keep track of them on listening.
-    internalOn(obj, name, callback, this, listening);
+    // Bind callbacks on obj.
+    var error = tryCatchOn(obj, name, callback, this);
+    _listening = void 0;
+
+    if (error) throw error;
+    // If the target obj is not Backbone.Events, track events manually.
+    if (listening.interop) listening.on(name, callback);
+
     return this;
   };
 
@@ -212,6 +225,16 @@
     return events;
   };
 
+  // An try-catch guarded #on function, to prevent poisoning the global
+  // `_listening` variable.
+  var tryCatchOn = function(obj, name, callback, context) {
+    try {
+      obj.on(name, callback, context);
+    } catch (e) {
+      return e;
+    }
+  };
+
   // Remove one or many callbacks. If `context` is null, removes all
   // callbacks with that function. If `callback` is null, removes all
   // callbacks for the event. If `name` is null, removes all bound
@@ -241,8 +264,8 @@
       if (!listening) break;
 
       listening.obj.off(name, callback, this);
+      if (listening.interop) listening.off(name, callback);
     }
-
     return this;
   };
 
@@ -250,21 +273,18 @@
   var offApi = function(events, name, callback, options) {
     if (!events) return;
 
-    var i = 0, listening;
     var context = options.context, listeners = options.listeners;
+    var i = 0, names;
 
-    // Delete all events listeners and "drop" events.
-    if (!name && !callback && !context) {
-      var ids = _.keys(listeners);
-      for (; i < ids.length; i++) {
-        listening = listeners[ids[i]];
-        delete listeners[listening.id];
-        delete listening.listeningTo[listening.objId];
+    // Delete all event listeners and "drop" events.
+    if (!name && !context && !callback) {
+      for (names = _.keys(listeners); i < names.length; i++) {
+        listeners[names[i]].cleanup();
       }
       return;
     }
 
-    var names = name ? [name] : _.keys(events);
+    names = name ? [name] : _.keys(events);
     for (; i < names.length; i++) {
       name = names[i];
       var handlers = events[name];
@@ -283,11 +303,8 @@
         ) {
           remaining.push(handler);
         } else {
-          listening = handler.listening;
-          if (listening && --listening.count === 0) {
-            delete listeners[listening.id];
-            delete listening.listeningTo[listening.objId];
-          }
+          var listening = handler.listening;
+          if (listening) listening.off(name, callback);
         }
       }
 
@@ -298,7 +315,8 @@
         delete events[name];
       }
     }
-    return events;
+
+    if (_.size(events)) return events;
   };
 
   // Bind an event to only be triggered a single time. After the first time
@@ -313,7 +331,7 @@
   };
 
   // Inversion-of-control versions of `once`.
-  Events.listenToOnce = function(obj, name, callback) {
+  Events.listenToOnce =  function(obj, name, callback) {
     // Map the event into a `{event: once}` object.
     var events = eventsApi(onceMap, {}, name, callback, _.bind(this.stopListening, this, obj));
     return this.listenTo(obj, events);
@@ -348,7 +366,7 @@
   };
 
   // Handles triggering the appropriate event callbacks.
-  var triggerApi = function(objEvents, name, callback, args) {
+  var triggerApi = function(objEvents, name, cb, args) {
     if (objEvents) {
       var events = objEvents[name];
       var allEvents = objEvents.all;
@@ -373,6 +391,44 @@
     }
   };
 
+  // A listening class that tracks and cleans up memory bindings
+  // when all callbacks have been offed.
+  var Listening = function(listener, obj) {
+    this.id = listener._listenId;
+    this.listener = listener;
+    this.obj = obj;
+    this.interop = true;
+    this.count = 0;
+    this._events = void 0;
+  };
+
+  Listening.prototype.on = Events.on;
+
+  // Offs a callback (or several).
+  // Uses an optimized counter if the listenee uses Backbone.Events.
+  // Otherwise, falls back to manual tracking to support events
+  // library interop.
+  Listening.prototype.off = function(name, callback) {
+    var cleanup;
+    if (this.interop) {
+      this._events = eventsApi(offApi, this._events, name, callback, {
+        context: void 0,
+        listeners: void 0
+      });
+      cleanup = !this._events;
+    } else {
+      this.count--;
+      cleanup = this.count === 0;
+    }
+    if (cleanup) this.cleanup();
+  };
+
+  // Cleans up memory bindings between the listener and the listenee.
+  Listening.prototype.cleanup = function() {
+    delete this.listener._listeningTo[this.obj._listenId];
+    if (!this.interop) delete this.obj._listeners[this.id];
+  };
+
   // Aliases for backwards compatibility.
   Events.bind   = Events.on;
   Events.unbind = Events.off;
diff --git a/test/events.js b/test/events.js
index 544b39a19..d7a115dd5 100644
--- a/test/events.js
+++ b/test/events.js
@@ -703,4 +703,41 @@
     two.trigger('y', 2);
   });
 
+  test("#3611 - listenTo is compatible with non-Backbone event libraries", 1, function() {
+    var obj = _.extend({}, Backbone.Events);
+    var other = {
+      events: {},
+      on: function(name, callback) {
+        this.events[name] = callback;
+      },
+      trigger: function(name) {
+        this.events[name]();
+      }
+    };
+
+    obj.listenTo(other, 'test', function() { ok(true); });
+    other.trigger('test');
+  });
+
+  test("#3611 - stopListening is compatible with non-Backbone event libraries", 1, function() {
+    var obj = _.extend({}, Backbone.Events);
+    var other = {
+      events: {},
+      on: function(name, callback) {
+        this.events[name] = callback;
+      },
+      off: function() {
+        this.events = {};
+      },
+      trigger: function(name) {
+        var fn = this.events[name];
+        if (fn) fn();
+      }
+    };
+
+    obj.listenTo(other, 'test', function() { ok(false); });
+    obj.stopListening(other);
+    other.trigger('test');
+    equal(_.size(obj._listeningTo), 0);
+  });
 })();