diff --git a/core/src/components/modal/animations/ios.enter.ts b/core/src/components/modal/animations/ios.enter.ts
index 201cfe0cce..a0e7605e0c 100644
--- a/core/src/components/modal/animations/ios.enter.ts
+++ b/core/src/components/modal/animations/ios.enter.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,11 @@ import { createSheetEnterAnimation } from './sheet';
 
 const createEnterAnimation = () => {
   const backdropAnimation = createAnimation()
-    .fromTo('opacity', 0.01, 'var(--backdrop-opacity)');
+    .fromTo('opacity', 0.01, 'var(--backdrop-opacity)')
+    .beforeStyles({
+      'pointer-events': 'none'
+    })
+    .afterClearStyles(['pointer-events']);
 
   const wrapperAnimation = createAnimation()
     .fromTo('transform', 'translateY(100vh)', 'translateY(0vh)');
@@ -27,11 +31,7 @@ export const iosEnterAnimation = (
   const { wrapperAnimation, backdropAnimation } = currentBreakpoint !== undefined ? createSheetEnterAnimation(opts) : createEnterAnimation();
 
   backdropAnimation
-    .addElement(root.querySelector('ion-backdrop')!)
-    .beforeStyles({
-      'pointer-events': 'none'
-    })
-    .afterClearStyles(['pointer-events']);
+    .addElement(root.querySelector('ion-backdrop')!);
 
   wrapperAnimation
     .addElement(root.querySelectorAll('.modal-wrapper, .modal-shadow')!)
diff --git a/core/src/components/modal/animations/md.enter.ts b/core/src/components/modal/animations/md.enter.ts
index 971a17d5d8..4b81f3d38c 100644
--- a/core/src/components/modal/animations/md.enter.ts
+++ b/core/src/components/modal/animations/md.enter.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,11 @@ import { createSheetEnterAnimation } from './sheet';
 
 const createEnterAnimation = () => {
   const backdropAnimation = createAnimation()
-    .fromTo('opacity', 0.01, 'var(--backdrop-opacity)');
+    .fromTo('opacity', 0.01, 'var(--backdrop-opacity)')
+    .beforeStyles({
+      'pointer-events': 'none'
+    })
+    .afterClearStyles(['pointer-events']);
 
   const wrapperAnimation = createAnimation()
     .keyframes([
@@ -29,11 +33,7 @@ export const mdEnterAnimation = (
   const { wrapperAnimation, backdropAnimation } = currentBreakpoint !== undefined ? createSheetEnterAnimation(opts) : createEnterAnimation();
 
   backdropAnimation
-    .addElement(root.querySelector('ion-backdrop')!)
-    .beforeStyles({
-      'pointer-events': 'none'
-    })
-    .afterClearStyles(['pointer-events']);
+    .addElement(root.querySelector('ion-backdrop')!);
 
   wrapperAnimation
     .addElement(root.querySelector('.modal-wrapper')!);
diff --git a/core/src/components/modal/animations/sheet.ts b/core/src/components/modal/animations/sheet.ts
index 79902483cf..cac05102f9 100644
--- a/core/src/components/modal/animations/sheet.ts
+++ b/core/src/components/modal/animations/sheet.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,14 @@ export const createSheetEnterAnimation = (opts: ModalAnimationOptions) => {
   const backdropAnimation = createAnimation('backdropAnimation')
     .fromTo('opacity', 0, initialBackdrop);
 
+  if (shouldShowBackdrop) {
+    backdropAnimation
+      .beforeStyles({
+        'pointer-events': 'none'
+      })
+      .afterClearStyles(['pointer-events']);
+  }
+
   const wrapperAnimation = createAnimation('wrapperAnimation')
     .keyframes([
       { offset: 0, opacity: 1, transform: 'translateY(100%)' },
diff --git a/core/src/components/modal/gestures/sheet.ts b/core/src/components/modal/gestures/sheet.ts
index 1dff393e4b..1b4230311e 100644
--- a/core/src/components/modal/gestures/sheet.ts
+++ b/core/src/components/modal/gestures/sheet.ts
@@ -56,10 +56,14 @@ export const createSheetGesture = (
     animation.progressStart(true, 1 - currentBreakpoint);
 
     /**
-     * Backdrop should become enabled
-     * after the backdropBreakpoint value
+     * If backdrop is not enabled, then content
+     * behind modal should be clickable. To do this, we need
+     * to remove pointer-events from ion-modal as a whole.
+     * ion-backdrop and .modal-wrapper always have pointer-events: auto
+     * applied, so the modal content can still be interacted with.
      */
     const backdropEnabled = currentBreakpoint > backdropBreakpoint
+    baseEl.style.setProperty('pointer-events', backdropEnabled ? 'auto' : 'none');
     backdropEl.style.setProperty('pointer-events', backdropEnabled ? 'auto' : 'none');
   }
 
@@ -187,6 +191,7 @@ export const createSheetGesture = (
                * after the backdropBreakpoint value
                */
               const backdropEnabled = currentBreakpoint > backdropBreakpoint;
+              baseEl.style.setProperty('pointer-events', backdropEnabled ? 'auto' : 'none');
               backdropEl.style.setProperty('pointer-events', backdropEnabled ? 'auto' : 'none');
 
               gesture.enable(true);
diff --git a/core/src/components/modal/modal.scss b/core/src/components/modal/modal.scss
index 8a7b291cac..c7406e2e9e 100644
--- a/core/src/components/modal/modal.scss
+++ b/core/src/components/modal/modal.scss
@@ -50,6 +50,10 @@
   contain: strict;
 }
 
+.modal-wrapper, ion-backdrop {
+  pointer-events: auto;
+}
+
 :host(.overlay-hidden) {
   display: none;
 }
diff --git a/core/src/components/modal/test/basic/e2e.ts b/core/src/components/modal/test/basic/e2e.ts
index bf0443fe4d..15b297ed8e 100644
--- a/core/src/components/modal/test/basic/e2e.ts
+++ b/core/src/components/modal/test/basic/e2e.ts
@@ -84,3 +84,15 @@ test('modal: htmlAttributes', async () => {
 
   expect(attribute).toEqual('basic-modal');
 });
+
+test('it should dismiss the modal when clicking the backdrop', async () => {
+  const page = await newE2EPage({ url: '/src/components/modal/test/basic?ionic:_testing=true' });
+  const ionModalDidPresent = await page.spyOnEvent('ionModalDidPresent');
+  const ionModalDidDismiss = await page.spyOnEvent('ionModalDidDismiss');
+
+  await page.click('#basic-modal');
+  await ionModalDidPresent.next();
+
+  await page.mouse.click(20, 20);
+  await ionModalDidDismiss.next();
+})
diff --git a/core/src/components/modal/test/sheet/e2e.ts b/core/src/components/modal/test/sheet/e2e.ts
index 2392b2cada..a63dff96d0 100644
--- a/core/src/components/modal/test/sheet/e2e.ts
+++ b/core/src/components/modal/test/sheet/e2e.ts
@@ -43,3 +43,47 @@ test('modal - open', async () => {
     expect(screenshotCompare).toMatchScreenshot();
   }
 });
+
+test('should click to dismiss sheet modal', async () => {
+  const page = await newE2EPage({ url: '/src/components/modal/test/sheet?ionic:_testing=true' });
+  const ionModalDidDismiss = await page.spyOnEvent('ionModalDidDismiss');
+
+  await page.click('#sheet-modal');
+
+  const modal = await page.find('ion-modal');
+  await modal.waitForVisible();
+
+  await page.mouse.click(50, 50);
+
+  await ionModalDidDismiss.next();
+});
+
+test('should click to dismiss sheet modal when backdrop is active', async () => {
+  const page = await newE2EPage({ url: '/src/components/modal/test/sheet?ionic:_testing=true' });
+  const ionModalDidDismiss = await page.spyOnEvent('ionModalDidDismiss');
+
+  await page.click('#backdrop-active');
+
+  const modal = await page.find('ion-modal');
+  await modal.waitForVisible();
+
+  await page.mouse.click(50, 50);
+
+  await ionModalDidDismiss.next();
+});
+
+test('should click to present another modal when backdrop is inactive', async () => {
+  const page = await newE2EPage({ url: '/src/components/modal/test/sheet?ionic:_testing=true' });
+  const ionModalDidPresent = await page.spyOnEvent('ionModalDidPresent');
+
+  await page.click('#backdrop-inactive');
+
+  await ionModalDidPresent.next();
+
+  await page.click('#custom-height-modal');
+
+  await ionModalDidPresent.next();
+
+  const customModal = await page.find('.custom-height');
+  expect(customModal).not.toBe(null);
+});
diff --git a/core/src/components/modal/test/sheet/index.html b/core/src/components/modal/test/sheet/index.html
index 7179436fa2..5eb650f219 100644
--- a/core/src/components/modal/test/sheet/index.html
+++ b/core/src/components/modal/test/sheet/index.html
@@ -93,6 +93,8 @@
         <ion-button id="custom-height-modal" onclick="presentModal({ cssClass: 'custom-height' })">Present Sheet Modal (Custom Height)</ion-button>
         <ion-button id="custom-handle-modal" onclick="presentModal({ cssClass: 'custom-handle' })">Present Sheet Modal (Custom Handle)</ion-button>
         <ion-button id="no-handle-modal" onclick="presentModal({ handle: false })">Present Sheet Modal (No Handle)</ion-button>
+        <ion-button id="backdrop-active" onclick="presentModal({ backdropBreakpoint: 0.3, initialBreakpoint: 0.5, breakpoints: [0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1] })">Backdrop is active</ion-button>
+        <ion-button id="backdrop-inactive" onclick="presentModal({ cssClass: 'backdrop-inactive', backdropBreakpoint: 0.5, initialBreakpoint: 0.3, breakpoints: [0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1] })">Backdrop is inactive</ion-button>
 
         <div class="grid">
           <div class="grid-item red"></div>