diff --git a/src/textual/app.py b/src/textual/app.py
index 1afe30322..5edaf9e40 100644
--- a/src/textual/app.py
+++ b/src/textual/app.py
@@ -1802,11 +1802,19 @@ class App(Generic[ReturnType], DOMNode):
         event.stop()
         await self.screen.post_message(event)
 
-    async def _on_remove(self, event: events.Remove) -> None:
-        """Handle a remove event.
+    def _detach_from_dom(self, widgets: list[Widget]) -> list[Widget]:
+        """Detach a list of widgets from the DOM.
 
         Args:
-            event (events.Remove): The remove event.
+            widgets (list[Widget]): The list of widgets to detach from the DOM.
+
+        Returns:
+            list[Widget]: The list of widgets that should be pruned.
+
+        Note:
+            A side-effect of calling this function is that each parent of
+            each affected widget will be made to forget about the affected
+            child.
         """
 
         # We've been given a list of widgets to remove, but removing those
@@ -1815,7 +1823,7 @@ class App(Generic[ReturnType], DOMNode):
         # be in the DOM by the time we've finished. Note that, at this
         # point, it's entirely possible that there will be duplicates.
         everything_to_remove: list[Widget] = []
-        for widget in event.widgets:
+        for widget in widgets:
             everything_to_remove.extend(
                 widget.walk_children(
                     Widget, with_self=True, method="depth", reverse=True
@@ -1838,11 +1846,9 @@ class App(Generic[ReturnType], DOMNode):
         # In other words: find the smallest set of ancestors in the DOM that
         # will remove the widgets requested for removal, and also ensure
         # that all knock-on effects happen too.
-        request_remove = set(event.widgets)
+        request_remove = set(widgets)
         pruned_remove = [
-            widget
-            for widget in event.widgets
-            if request_remove.isdisjoint(widget.ancestors)
+            widget for widget in widgets if request_remove.isdisjoint(widget.ancestors)
         ]
 
         # Now that we know that minimal set of widgets, we go through them
@@ -1852,14 +1858,26 @@ class App(Generic[ReturnType], DOMNode):
             if widget.parent is not None:
                 widget.parent.children._remove(widget)
 
-        # Having done that, it's now safe for us to start the process of
-        # winding down all of the affected widgets. We do that by pruning
-        # just the roots of each affected branch, and letting the normal
-        # prune process take care of all the offspring.
-        for widget in pruned_remove:
-            await self._prune_node(widget)
+        # Return the list of widgets that should end up being sent off in a
+        # prune event.
+        return pruned_remove
 
-        # And finally, redraw all the things!
+    async def _on_prune(self, event: events.Prune) -> None:
+        """Handle a prune event.
+
+        Args:
+            event (events.Prune): The prune event.
+        """
+
+        try:
+            # Prune all the widgets.
+            for widget in event.widgets:
+                await self._prune_node(widget)
+        finally:
+            # Finally, flag that we're done.
+            event.finished_flag.set()
+
+        # Flag that the layout needs refreshing.
         self.refresh(layout=True)
 
     def _walk_children(self, root: Widget) -> Iterable[list[Widget]]:
diff --git a/src/textual/await_remove.py b/src/textual/await_remove.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d93c21cf8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/textual/await_remove.py
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+from asyncio import Event
+from typing import Generator
+
+
+class AwaitRemove:
+    def __init__(self, finished_flag: Event) -> None:
+        self.finished_flag = finished_flag
+
+    def __await__(self) -> Generator[None, None, None]:
+        async def await_prune() -> None:
+            await self.finished_flag.wait()
+
+        return await_prune().__await__()
diff --git a/src/textual/css/query.py b/src/textual/css/query.py
index 007daf507..50119411a 100644
--- a/src/textual/css/query.py
+++ b/src/textual/css/query.py
@@ -17,11 +17,13 @@ a method which evaluates the query, such as first() and last().
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 from typing import cast, Generic, TYPE_CHECKING, Iterator, TypeVar, overload
+import asyncio
 
 import rich.repr
 
 from .. import events
 from .._context import active_app
+from ..await_remove import AwaitRemove
 from .errors import DeclarationError, TokenError
 from .match import match
 from .model import SelectorSet
@@ -348,11 +350,18 @@ class DOMQuery(Generic[QueryType]):
             node.toggle_class(*class_names)
         return self
 
-    def remove(self) -> DOMQuery[QueryType]:
+    def remove(self) -> AwaitRemove:
         """Remove matched nodes from the DOM"""
+        prune_finished_event = asyncio.Event()
         app = active_app.get()
-        app.post_message_no_wait(events.Remove(app, widgets=list(self)))
-        return self
+        app.post_message_no_wait(
+            events.Prune(
+                app,
+                widgets=app._detach_from_dom(list(self)),
+                finished_flag=prune_finished_event,
+            )
+        )
+        return AwaitRemove(prune_finished_event)
 
     def set_styles(
         self, css: str | None = None, **update_styles
diff --git a/src/textual/events.py b/src/textual/events.py
index d34b206ad..a2cd27190 100644
--- a/src/textual/events.py
+++ b/src/textual/events.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from .timer import Timer as TimerClass
     from .timer import TimerCallback
     from .widget import Widget
+    import asyncio
 
 
 @rich.repr.auto
@@ -126,12 +127,21 @@ class Unmount(Mount, bubble=False, verbose=False):
     """Sent when a widget is unmounted and may not longer receive messages."""
 
 
-class Remove(Event, bubble=False):
-    """Sent to the app to ask it to remove one or more widgets from the DOM."""
+class Prune(Event, bubble=False):
+    """Sent to the app to ask it to prune one or more widgets from the DOM."""
 
-    def __init__(self, sender: MessageTarget, widgets: list[Widget]) -> None:
-        self.widgets = widgets
+    def __init__(
+        self, sender: MessageTarget, widgets: list[Widget], finished_flag: asyncio.Event
+    ) -> None:
+        """Initialise the event.
+
+        Args:
+            widgets (list[Widgets]): The list of widgets to prune.
+            finished_flag (asyncio.Event): An asyncio Event to that will be flagged when the prune is done.
+        """
         super().__init__(sender)
+        self.finished_flag = finished_flag
+        self.widgets = widgets
 
 
 class Show(Event, bubble=False):
diff --git a/src/textual/widget.py b/src/textual/widget.py
index b1eb32cb9..214a3d30d 100644
--- a/src/textual/widget.py
+++ b/src/textual/widget.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
-from asyncio import Lock, wait, create_task
+from asyncio import Lock, wait, create_task, Event as AsyncEvent
 from fractions import Fraction
 from itertools import islice
 from operator import attrgetter
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ from .message import Message
 from .messages import CallbackType
 from .reactive import Reactive
 from .render import measure
+from .await_remove import AwaitRemove
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from .app import App, ComposeResult
@@ -1990,9 +1991,17 @@ class Widget(DOMNode):
 
         self.check_idle()
 
-    def remove(self) -> None:
+    def remove(self) -> AwaitRemove:
         """Remove the Widget from the DOM (effectively deleting it)"""
-        self.app.post_message_no_wait(events.Remove(self, widgets=[self]))
+        prune_finished_event = AsyncEvent()
+        self.app.post_message_no_wait(
+            events.Prune(
+                self,
+                widgets=self.app._detach_from_dom([self]),
+                finished_flag=prune_finished_event,
+            )
+        )
+        return AwaitRemove(prune_finished_event)
 
     def render(self) -> RenderableType:
         """Get renderable for widget.
diff --git a/tests/test_widget_removing.py b/tests/test_widget_removing.py
index 822695073..5391fe7a0 100644
--- a/tests/test_widget_removing.py
+++ b/tests/test_widget_removing.py
@@ -4,24 +4,12 @@ from textual.widget import Widget
 from textual.widgets import Static, Button
 from textual.containers import Container
 
-async def await_remove_standin():
-    """Standin function for awaiting removal.
-
-    These tests are being written so that we can go on and make remove
-    awaitable, but it would be good to have some tests in place *before* we
-    make that change, but the tests need to await remove to be useful tests.
-    So to get around that bootstrap issue, we just use this function as a
-    standin until we can swap over.
-    """
-    await asyncio.sleep(0) # Until we can await remove.
-
 async def test_remove_single_widget():
     """It should be possible to the only widget on a screen."""
     async with App().run_test() as pilot:
         await pilot.app.mount(Static())
         assert len(pilot.app.screen.children) == 1
-        pilot.app.query_one(Static).remove()
-        await await_remove_standin()
+        await pilot.app.query_one(Static).remove()
         assert len(pilot.app.screen.children) == 0
 
 async def test_many_remove_all_widgets():
@@ -29,8 +17,7 @@ async def test_many_remove_all_widgets():
     async with App().run_test() as pilot:
         await pilot.app.mount(*[Static() for _ in range(1000)])
         assert len(pilot.app.screen.children) == 1000
-        pilot.app.query(Static).remove()
-        await await_remove_standin()
+        await pilot.app.query(Static).remove()
         assert len(pilot.app.screen.children) == 0
 
 async def test_many_remove_some_widgets():
@@ -38,8 +25,7 @@ async def test_many_remove_some_widgets():
     async with App().run_test() as pilot:
         await pilot.app.mount(*[Static(id=f"is-{n%2}") for n in range(1000)])
         assert len(pilot.app.screen.children) == 1000
-        pilot.app.query("#is-0").remove()
-        await await_remove_standin()
+        await pilot.app.query("#is-0").remove()
         assert len(pilot.app.screen.children) == 500
 
 async def test_remove_branch():
@@ -71,8 +57,7 @@ async def test_remove_branch():
             ),
         )
         assert len(pilot.app.screen.walk_children(with_self=False)) == 13
-        pilot.app.screen.children[0].remove()
-        await await_remove_standin()
+        await pilot.app.screen.children[0].remove()
         assert len(pilot.app.screen.walk_children(with_self=False)) == 7
 
 async def test_remove_overlap():
@@ -104,8 +89,7 @@ async def test_remove_overlap():
             ),
         )
         assert len(pilot.app.screen.walk_children(with_self=False)) == 13
-        pilot.app.query(Container).remove()
-        await await_remove_standin()
+        await pilot.app.query(Container).remove()
         assert len(pilot.app.screen.walk_children(with_self=False)) == 1
 
 async def test_remove_move_focus():
@@ -119,8 +103,7 @@ async def test_remove_move_focus():
         await pilot.press( "tab" )
         assert pilot.app.focused is not None
         assert pilot.app.focused == buttons[0]
-        pilot.app.screen.children[0].remove()
-        await await_remove_standin()
+        await pilot.app.screen.children[0].remove()
         assert len(pilot.app.screen.children) == 1
         assert len(pilot.app.screen.walk_children(with_self=False)) == 6
         assert pilot.app.focused is not None