diff --git a/etc/ORG-NEWS b/etc/ORG-NEWS
index 1f4e282ba..f55805986 100644
--- a/etc/ORG-NEWS
+++ b/etc/ORG-NEWS
@@ -248,10 +248,12 @@ plain list.
 fixltx2e is obsolete, see LaTeX News 22.
 ** Miscellaneous
 *** Beamer export back-ends uses ~org-latex-prefer-user-labels~
+
 *** ~:preparation-function~ called earlier during publishing
 Functions in this list are called before any file is associated to the
 current projet.  Thus, they can be used to generate to be published
 Org files.
+
 *** Function ~org-remove-indentation~ changes.
 The new algorithm doesn't remove TAB characters not used for
 indentation.
@@ -267,12 +269,20 @@ Note that only ~%(...)~ placeholders initially present in the
 template, or introduced using a file placeholder, i.e., ~%[...]~ are
 expanded.  This prevents evaluating potentially malicious code when
 another placeholder, e.g., ~%i~ expands to a S-exp.
+
 *** Links stored by ~org-gnus-store-link~ in nnir groups
 Since gnus nnir groups are temporary, ~org-gnus-store-link~ now refers
 to the article's original group.
+
 *** ~org-babel-check-confirm-evaluate~ is now a function instead of a macro
 The calling convention has changed.
 
+*** HTML export table row customization changes
+Variable ~org-html-table-row-tags~ has been split into
+~org-html-table-row-open-tag~ and ~org-html-table-row-close-tag~.
+Both new variables can be either a string or a function which will be
+called with 6 parameters.
+
 * Version 8.3
 
 ** Incompatible changes
diff --git a/lisp/ox-html.el b/lisp/ox-html.el
index 0bccc5a0e..5ea059eed 100644
--- a/lisp/ox-html.el
+++ b/lisp/ox-html.el
@@ -170,7 +170,8 @@
     (:html-viewport nil nil org-html-viewport)
     (:html-inline-images nil nil org-html-inline-images)
     (:html-table-attributes nil nil org-html-table-default-attributes)
-    (:html-table-row-tags nil nil org-html-table-row-tags)
+    (:html-table-row-open-tag nil nil org-html-table-row-open-tag)
+    (:html-table-row-close-tag nil nil org-html-table-row-close-tag)
     (:html-xml-declaration nil nil org-html-xml-declaration)
     (:infojs-opt "INFOJS_OPT" nil nil)
     ;; Redefine regular options.
@@ -859,43 +860,50 @@ See also the variable `org-html-table-align-individual-fields'."
   :group 'org-export-html
   :type '(cons (string :tag "Opening tag") (string :tag "Closing tag")))
 
-(defcustom org-html-table-row-tags '("<tr>" . "</tr>")
-  "The opening and ending tags for table rows.
+(defcustom org-html-table-row-open-tag "<tr>"
+  "The opening tag for table rows.
 This is customizable so that alignment options can be specified.
-Instead of strings, these can be Lisp forms that will be
+Instead of strings, these can be a Lisp function that will be
 evaluated for each row in order to construct the table row tags.
 
-During evaluation, these variables will be dynamically bound so that
-you can reuse them:
+The function will be called with these arguments:
 
-       `row-number': row number (0 is the first row)
-  `rowgroup-number': group number of current row
- `start-rowgroup-p': non-nil means the row starts a group
-   `end-rowgroup-p': non-nil means the row ends a group
-        `top-row-p': non-nil means this is the top row
-     `bottom-row-p': non-nil means this is the bottom row
+         `number': row number (0 is the first row)
+   `group-number': group number of current row
+  `start-group-p': non-nil means the row starts a group
+    `end-group-p': non-nil means the row ends a group
+           `topp': non-nil means this is the top row
+        `bottomp': non-nil means this is the bottom row
 
 For example:
 
-\(setq org-html-table-row-tags
-      (cons \\='(cond (top-row-p \"<tr class=\\\"tr-top\\\">\")
-                   (bottom-row-p \"<tr class=\\\"tr-bottom\\\">\")
-                   (t (if (= (mod row-number 2) 1)
-			  \"<tr class=\\\"tr-odd\\\">\"
-			\"<tr class=\\\"tr-even\\\">\")))
-	    \"</tr>\"))
+  \(setq org-html-table-row-open-tag
+        \(lambda (number group-number start-group-p end-group-p topp bottomp)
+           \(cond (topp \"<tr class=\\\"tr-top\\\">\")
+                 \(bottomp \"<tr class=\\\"tr-bottom\\\">\")
+                 \(t (if (= (mod number 2) 1)
+                        \"<tr class=\\\"tr-odd\\\">\"
+                      \"<tr class=\\\"tr-even\\\">\")))))
 
 will use the \"tr-top\" and \"tr-bottom\" classes for the top row
 and the bottom row, and otherwise alternate between \"tr-odd\" and
 \"tr-even\" for odd and even rows."
   :group 'org-export-html
-  :type '(cons
-	  (choice :tag "Opening tag"
-		  (string :tag "Specify")
-		  (sexp))
-	  (choice :tag "Closing tag"
-		  (string :tag "Specify")
-		  (sexp))))
+  :type '(choice :tag "Opening tag"
+		 (string :tag "Specify")
+		 (function)))
+
+(defcustom org-html-table-row-close-tag "</tr>"
+  "The closing tag for table rows.
+This is customizable so that alignment options can be specified.
+Instead of strings, this can be a Lisp function that will be
+evaluated for each row in order to construct the table row tags.
+
+See documentation of `org-html-table-row-open-tag'."
+  :group 'org-export-html
+  :type '(choice :tag "Closing tag"
+		 (string :tag "Specify")
+		 (function)))
 
 (defcustom org-html-table-align-individual-fields t
   "Non-nil means attach style attributes for alignment to each table field.
@@ -3302,42 +3310,45 @@ communication channel."
   ;; Rules are ignored since table separators are deduced from
   ;; borders of the current row.
   (when (eq (org-element-property :type table-row) 'standard)
-    (let* ((rowgroup-number (org-export-table-row-group table-row info))
-	   (row-number (org-export-table-row-number table-row info))
-	   (start-rowgroup-p
+    (let* ((group (org-export-table-row-group table-row info))
+	   (number (org-export-table-row-number table-row info))
+	   (start-group-p
 	    (org-export-table-row-starts-rowgroup-p table-row info))
-	   (end-rowgroup-p
+	   (end-group-p
 	    (org-export-table-row-ends-rowgroup-p table-row info))
-	   ;; `top-row-p' and `end-rowgroup-p' are not used directly
-	   ;; but should be set so that `org-html-table-row-tags' can
-	   ;; use them (see the docstring of this variable.)
-	   (top-row-p (and (equal start-rowgroup-p '(top))
-			   (equal end-rowgroup-p '(below top))))
-	   (bottom-row-p (and (equal start-rowgroup-p '(above))
-			      (equal end-rowgroup-p '(bottom above))))
-	   (rowgroup-tags
+	   (topp (and (equal start-group-p '(top))
+		      (equal end-group-p '(below top))))
+	   (bottomp (and (equal start-group-p '(above))
+			 (equal end-group-p '(bottom above))))
+           (row-open-tag
+            (pcase (plist-get info :html-table-row-open-tag)
+              ((and accessor (pred functionp))
+               (funcall accessor
+			number group start-group-p end-group-p topp bottomp))
+	      (accessor accessor)))
+           (row-close-tag
+            (pcase (plist-get info :html-table-row-close-tag)
+              ((and accessor (pred functionp))
+               (funcall accessor
+			number group start-group-p end-group-p topp bottomp))
+	      (accessor accessor)))
+	   (group-tags
 	    (cond
-	     ;; Case 1: Row belongs to second or subsequent rowgroups.
-	     ((not (= 1 rowgroup-number))
-	      '("<tbody>" . "\n</tbody>"))
-	     ;; Case 2: Row is from first rowgroup.  Table has >=1 rowgroups.
+	     ;; Row belongs to second or subsequent groups.
+	     ((not (= 1 group)) '("<tbody>" . "\n</tbody>"))
+	     ;; Row is from first group.  Table has >=1 groups.
 	     ((org-export-table-has-header-p
 	       (org-export-get-parent-table table-row) info)
 	      '("<thead>" . "\n</thead>"))
-	     ;; Case 2: Row is from first and only row group.
+	     ;; Row is from first and only group.
 	     (t '("<tbody>" . "\n</tbody>")))))
-      ;; Silence byte-compiler.
-      bottom-row-p top-row-p row-number
-      (concat
-       ;; Begin a rowgroup?
-       (when start-rowgroup-p (car rowgroup-tags))
-       ;; Actual table row.
-       (concat "\n" (eval (car (plist-get info :html-table-row-tags)) t)
-	       contents
-	       "\n"
-	       (eval (cdr (plist-get info :html-table-row-tags)) t))
-       ;; End a rowgroup?
-       (when end-rowgroup-p (cdr rowgroup-tags))))))
+      (concat (and start-group-p (car group-tags))
+	      (concat "\n"
+		      row-open-tag
+		      contents
+		      "\n"
+		      row-close-tag)
+	      (and end-group-p (cdr group-tags))))))
 
 ;;;; Table