diff --git a/lib/markdown.js b/lib/markdown.js
index c31bbe0d..b9bcfd3f 100644
--- a/lib/markdown.js
+++ b/lib/markdown.js
@@ -310,6 +310,11 @@ Markdown.dialects = {};
  **/
 Markdown.dialects.Gruber = {
   block: {
+    htmlBlock: function htmlBlock( block, next ) {
+      if ( block.match( /^<\w/ ) && block.match( /\/>\s*$|<\/\s*\w+\s*>\s*$/ ) )
+        return [["__RAW", block.toString()]];
+    },
+
     atxHeader: function atxHeader( block, next ) {
       var m = block.match( /^(#{1,6})\s*(.*?)\s*#*\s*(?:\n|$)/ );
 
@@ -1445,6 +1450,10 @@ function render_tree( jsonml ) {
     return escapeHTML( jsonml );
   }
 
+  if ( jsonml[0] == "__RAW" ) {
+    return jsonml[1];
+  }
+
   var tag = jsonml.shift(),
       attributes = {},
       content = [];
diff --git a/test/features.t.js b/test/features.t.js
index 5d6c969f..0dbe2753 100644
--- a/test/features.t.js
+++ b/test/features.t.js
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ dialects.Gruber = [
   "emphasis",
   "headers",
   "horizontal_rules",
+  "html_blocks",
   "images",
   "linebreaks",
   "links",
diff --git a/test/features/code/html_block.json b/test/features/code/html_block.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7af0872a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/features/code/html_block.json
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+["html",
+  ["p", "This should not render as a block since it's indented (code):"],
+  ["pre",
+    ["code",
+      "<div>This should be escaped as HTML code.</div>"
+    ]
+  ]
+]
diff --git a/test/features/code/html_block.text b/test/features/code/html_block.text
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9b8c13d6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/features/code/html_block.text
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+This should not render as a block since it's indented (code):
+
+    <div>This should be escaped as HTML code.</div>
diff --git a/test/features/html_blocks/embedded_markdown.json b/test/features/html_blocks/embedded_markdown.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..70299efe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/features/html_blocks/embedded_markdown.json
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+["html",
+  ["__RAW",
+    "<div>**Embedded Markdown** is *not* supported.</div>"
+  ]
+]
diff --git a/test/features/html_blocks/embedded_markdown.text b/test/features/html_blocks/embedded_markdown.text
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d5b50759
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/features/html_blocks/embedded_markdown.text
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+<div>**Embedded Markdown** is *not* supported.</div>
diff --git a/test/features/html_blocks/html_block.json b/test/features/html_blocks/html_block.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3661a156
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/features/html_blocks/html_block.json
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+["html",
+  ["p", "The following is an HTML block:"],
+  ["__RAW",
+    "<div class=\"html-block\">I am an HTML block.</div>"
+  ]
+]
diff --git a/test/features/html_blocks/html_block.text b/test/features/html_blocks/html_block.text
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f749633e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/features/html_blocks/html_block.text
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+The following is an HTML block:
+
+<div class="html-block">I am an HTML block.</div>
diff --git a/test/features/html_blocks/self_closing.json b/test/features/html_blocks/self_closing.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2fbd1fe2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/features/html_blocks/self_closing.json
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+["html",
+  ["p", "The following is a self-closing HTML block:"],
+  ["__RAW",
+    "<img src=\"self-closing-html-block.jpg\" />"
+  ]
+]
diff --git a/test/features/html_blocks/self_closing.text b/test/features/html_blocks/self_closing.text
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c5fbb7ad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/features/html_blocks/self_closing.text
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+The following is a self-closing HTML block:
+
+<img src="self-closing-html-block.jpg" />