diff --git a/.changeset/tricky-islands-wonder.md b/.changeset/tricky-islands-wonder.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5b9c37281b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/tricky-islands-wonder.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@backstage/plugin-catalog': minor
+---
+
+The `columns` prop can be an array or a function that returns an array in order to override the default columns of the `CatalogIndexPage`.
diff --git a/plugins/catalog/src/components/CatalogPage/DefaultCatalogPage.test.tsx b/plugins/catalog/src/components/CatalogPage/DefaultCatalogPage.test.tsx
index 0ced712344..a4b1148a6f 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog/src/components/CatalogPage/DefaultCatalogPage.test.tsx
+++ b/plugins/catalog/src/components/CatalogPage/DefaultCatalogPage.test.tsx
@@ -44,6 +44,8 @@ import React from 'react';
 import { createComponentRouteRef } from '../../routes';
 import { CatalogTableRow } from '../CatalogTable';
 import { DefaultCatalogPage } from './DefaultCatalogPage';
+import { ColumnsFunc } from '../CatalogTable/CatalogTable';
+import { Entity } from '@backstage/catalog-model/';
 
 describe('DefaultCatalogPage', () => {
   const origReplaceState = window.history.replaceState;
@@ -217,6 +219,28 @@ describe('DefaultCatalogPage', () => {
     expect(columnHeaderLabels).toEqual(['Foo', 'Bar', 'Baz', 'Actions']);
   }, 20_000);
 
+  it('should render the custom column function passed as prop', async () => {
+    const columns: ColumnsFunc = (
+      kind: string | undefined,
+      entities: Entity[],
+    ) => {
+      return kind === 'component' && entities.length
+        ? [
+            { title: 'Foo', field: 'entity.foo' },
+            { title: 'Bar', field: 'entity.bar' },
+            { title: 'Baz', field: 'entity.spec.lifecycle' },
+          ]
+        : [];
+    };
+    await renderWrapped(<DefaultCatalogPage columns={columns} />);
+
+    const columnHeader = screen
+      .getAllByRole('button')
+      .filter(c => c.tagName === 'SPAN');
+    const columnHeaderLabels = columnHeader.map(c => c.textContent);
+    expect(columnHeaderLabels).toEqual(['Foo', 'Bar', 'Baz', 'Actions']);
+  }, 20_000);
+
   it('should render the default actions of an item in the grid', async () => {
     await renderWrapped(<DefaultCatalogPage />);
     await waitFor(() => expect(catalogApi.queryEntities).toHaveBeenCalled());
diff --git a/plugins/catalog/src/components/CatalogPage/DefaultCatalogPage.tsx b/plugins/catalog/src/components/CatalogPage/DefaultCatalogPage.tsx
index e50c69b8ec..bcabbed991 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog/src/components/CatalogPage/DefaultCatalogPage.tsx
+++ b/plugins/catalog/src/components/CatalogPage/DefaultCatalogPage.tsx
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ import { createComponentRouteRef } from '../../routes';
 import { CatalogTable, CatalogTableRow } from '../CatalogTable';
 import { catalogTranslationRef } from '../../translation';
 import { useTranslationRef } from '@backstage/core-plugin-api/alpha';
+import { ColumnsFunc } from '../CatalogTable/CatalogTable';
 
 /** @internal */
 export interface BaseCatalogPageProps {
@@ -86,7 +87,7 @@ export function BaseCatalogPage(props: BaseCatalogPageProps) {
  */
 export interface DefaultCatalogPageProps {
   initiallySelectedFilter?: UserListFilterKind;
-  columns?: TableColumn<CatalogTableRow>[];
+  columns?: TableColumn<CatalogTableRow>[] | ColumnsFunc;
   actions?: TableProps<CatalogTableRow>['actions'];
   initialKind?: string;
   tableOptions?: TableProps<CatalogTableRow>['options'];
diff --git a/plugins/catalog/src/components/CatalogTable/CatalogTable.test.tsx b/plugins/catalog/src/components/CatalogTable/CatalogTable.test.tsx
index c242372a97..35f7a94355 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog/src/components/CatalogTable/CatalogTable.test.tsx
+++ b/plugins/catalog/src/components/CatalogTable/CatalogTable.test.tsx
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ import {
 import { renderInTestApp, TestApiRegistry } from '@backstage/test-utils';
 import { act, fireEvent, screen } from '@testing-library/react';
 import * as React from 'react';
-import { CatalogTable } from './CatalogTable';
+import { CatalogTable, ColumnsFunc } from './CatalogTable';
 
 const entities: Entity[] = [
   {
@@ -379,4 +379,60 @@ describe('CatalogTable component', () => {
     const labelCellValue = screen.getByText('generic');
     expect(labelCellValue).toBeInTheDocument();
   });
+
+  it('should render the label column with customised title and value as specified using function', async () => {
+    const columns: ColumnsFunc = (kind, entities1) => {
+      return kind === 'api' && entities1.length
+        ? [
+            CatalogTable.columns.createNameColumn({ defaultKind: 'API' }),
+            CatalogTable.columns.createLabelColumn('category', {
+              title: 'Category',
+            }),
+          ]
+        : [];
+    };
+
+    const entity = {
+      apiVersion: 'backstage.io/v1alpha1',
+      kind: 'API',
+      metadata: {
+        name: 'APIWithLabel',
+        labels: { category: 'generic' },
+      },
+    };
+    const expectedColumns = ['Name', 'Category', 'Actions'];
+
+    await renderInTestApp(
+      <ApiProvider apis={mockApis}>
+        <MockEntityListContextProvider
+          value={{
+            entities: [entity],
+            filters: {
+              kind: {
+                value: 'api',
+                getCatalogFilters: () => ({ kind: 'api' }),
+                toQueryValue: () => 'api',
+              },
+            },
+          }}
+        >
+          <CatalogTable columns={columns} />
+        </MockEntityListContextProvider>
+      </ApiProvider>,
+      {
+        mountedRoutes: {
+          '/catalog/:namespace/:kind/:name': entityRouteRef,
+        },
+      },
+    );
+
+    const columnHeader = screen
+      .getAllByRole('button')
+      .filter(c => c.tagName === 'SPAN');
+    const columnHeaderLabels = columnHeader.map(c => c.textContent);
+    expect(columnHeaderLabels).toEqual(expectedColumns);
+
+    const labelCellValue = screen.getByText('generic');
+    expect(labelCellValue).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
 });
diff --git a/plugins/catalog/src/components/CatalogTable/CatalogTable.tsx b/plugins/catalog/src/components/CatalogTable/CatalogTable.tsx
index 24ccb22908..25a3535d22 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog/src/components/CatalogTable/CatalogTable.tsx
+++ b/plugins/catalog/src/components/CatalogTable/CatalogTable.tsx
@@ -40,19 +40,29 @@ import Edit from '@material-ui/icons/Edit';
 import OpenInNew from '@material-ui/icons/OpenInNew';
 import Star from '@material-ui/icons/Star';
 import StarBorder from '@material-ui/icons/StarBorder';
-import { capitalize } from 'lodash';
+import { capitalize, isFunction } from 'lodash';
 import React, { ReactNode, useMemo } from 'react';
 import { columnFactories } from './columns';
 import { CatalogTableRow } from './types';
 import pluralize from 'pluralize';
 
+/**
+ * Typed columns function to dynamically render columns based on entities and chosen kind.
+ *
+ * @public
+ */
+export type ColumnsFunc = (
+  kind: string | undefined,
+  entities: Entity[],
+) => TableColumn<CatalogTableRow>[];
+
 /**
  * Props for {@link CatalogTable}.
  *
  * @public
  */
 export interface CatalogTableProps {
-  columns?: TableColumn<CatalogTableRow>[];
+  columns?: TableColumn<CatalogTableRow>[] | ColumnsFunc;
   actions?: TableProps<CatalogTableRow>['actions'];
   tableOptions?: TableProps<CatalogTableRow>['options'];
   emptyContent?: ReactNode;
@@ -121,6 +131,12 @@ export const CatalogTable = (props: CatalogTableProps) => {
     }
   }, [filters.kind?.value, entities]);
 
+  const overrideColumns = useMemo(() => {
+    return isFunction(columns)
+      ? columns(filters.kind?.value, entities)
+      : columns;
+  }, [columns, filters.kind?.value, entities]);
+
   const showTypeColumn = filters.type === undefined;
   // TODO(timbonicus): remove the title from the CatalogTable once using EntitySearchBar
   const titlePreamble = capitalize(filters.user?.value ?? 'all');
@@ -227,7 +243,9 @@ export const CatalogTable = (props: CatalogTableProps) => {
     };
   });
 
-  const typeColumn = (columns || defaultColumns).find(c => c.title === 'Type');
+  const typeColumn = (overrideColumns || defaultColumns).find(
+    c => c.title === 'Type',
+  );
   if (typeColumn) {
     typeColumn.hidden = !showTypeColumn;
   }
@@ -241,7 +259,7 @@ export const CatalogTable = (props: CatalogTableProps) => {
   return (
     <Table<CatalogTableRow>
       isLoading={loading}
-      columns={columns || defaultColumns}
+      columns={overrideColumns || defaultColumns}
       options={{
         paging: showPagination,
         pageSize: 20,