A week after being embarrassed by Port Adelaide, the Bombers were up for the fight in a 15.6 (96) to 9.13 (67) victory in a feisty contest at Marvel Stadium on Friday night.
They trailed by 10 points midway through the second term but overwhelmed their opponents with 10 of the next 11 goals.
The result gave Brad Scott's side a 3-2 record ahead of an interstate trip to take on winless Adelaide next week.
Zach Merrett (27 disposals) was typically busy in the midfield alongside Jye Caldwell (23) and Sam Durham (21) while Jake Stringer delighted in kicking two goals against his former club.
Kyle Langford (three), Harrison Jones and Xavier Duursma (two each) also kicked multiple goals.
Dominated by Port Adelaide in centre clearances last week in a 69-point thumping, the Bombers redressed their issues in that area as Todd Goldstein and Sam Draper won their ruck battle with All-Australian Tim English and Sam Darcy.
Bulldogs forward Jamarra Ugle-Hagan kicked 3.3 from 12 touches in his 50th AFL game but missed an important set shot at the start of the final quarter before the Bombers kicked away.
Tom Liberatore (25 disposals, nine clearances), Adam Treloar (28, four) and Ed Richards (22 touches) fought hard for the Bulldogs, who had no answer to Essendon's spread of contributors.
An entertaining opening term featured four lead changes as Ugle-Hagan kicked two goals from strong marks and a late Alwyn Davey Jnr major helped the Bombers to a narrow 5.0 to 4.2 lead at quarter-time.
The trend continued in the second period as the Bulldogs temporarily seized momentum, hitting the front with the first two goals of the quarter, only for Essendon to hit back with the next three.
Stringer had started the game on the bench and missed some targets with poor early kicks but produced a highlight when he slotted the Bombers' go-ahead goal before halftime with a brilliant left-foot snap.
They led 8.2 to 6.6 at the main break and the surge continued when Jones kicked their fourth consecutive major, the lead swelling to 14 points early in the third term.
Ugle-Hagan responded by slotting his third goal not long after almost pulling down a spectacular grab reminiscent of Gary Ablett Sr's one-handed 1994 mark of the year.
But the Bombers restored their double-figure buffer in a flashpoint when Treloar gave away a free-kick to Stringer in a marking contest, before three Bulldogs collided in the air and Langford took the advantage to kick his third goal.
Jye Menzie succumbed to a left shoulder injury and was substituted out of the game at three-quarter time but it didn't stop Essendon kicking away with the first five goals of the final term.
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