diff --git a/pandas/core/generic.py b/pandas/core/generic.py
index c4c1b02cdc5abc..60f5efc021df82 100644
--- a/pandas/core/generic.py
+++ b/pandas/core/generic.py
@@ -497,23 +497,23 @@ def _expand_axes(self, key):
         1    2
         2    3
         dtype: int64
-        >>> s.set_axis(0, ['a', 'b', 'c'], inplace=False)
+        >>> s.set_axis(['a', 'b', 'c'], axis=0, inplace=False)
         a    1
         b    2
         c    3
         dtype: int64
         >>> df = pd.DataFrame({"A": [1, 2, 3], "B": [4, 5, 6]})
-        >>> df.set_axis(0, ['a', 'b', 'c'], inplace=False)
+        >>> df.set_axis(['a', 'b', 'c'], axis=0, inplace=False)
            A  B
         a  1  4
         b  2  5
         c  3  6
-        >>> df.set_axis(1, ['I', 'II'], inplace=False)
+        >>> df.set_axis(['I', 'II'], axis=1, inplace=False)
            I  II
         0  1   4
         1  2   5
         2  3   6
-        >>> df.set_axis(1, ['i', 'ii'], inplace=True)
+        >>> df.set_axis(['i', 'ii'], axis=1, inplace=True)
         >>> df
            i  ii
         0  1   4
@@ -952,7 +952,7 @@ def _set_axis_name(self, name, axis=0, inplace=False):
 
         inplace = validate_bool_kwarg(inplace, 'inplace')
         renamed = self if inplace else self.copy()
-        renamed.set_axis(axis, idx)
+        renamed.set_axis(idx, axis=axis, inplace=True)
         if not inplace:
             return renamed
 
@@ -5840,7 +5840,7 @@ def slice_shift(self, periods=1, axis=0):
 
         new_obj = self._slice(vslicer, axis=axis)
         shifted_axis = self._get_axis(axis)[islicer]
-        new_obj.set_axis(axis, shifted_axis)
+        new_obj.set_axis(shifted_axis, axis=axis, inplace=True)
 
         return new_obj.__finalize__(self)
 
@@ -6000,7 +6000,7 @@ def _tz_convert(ax, tz):
             ax = _tz_convert(ax, tz)
 
         result = self._constructor(self._data, copy=copy)
-        result.set_axis(axis, ax)
+        result.set_axis(ax, axis=axis, inplace=True)
         return result.__finalize__(self)
 
     @deprecate_kwarg(old_arg_name='infer_dst', new_arg_name='ambiguous',
@@ -6068,7 +6068,7 @@ def _tz_localize(ax, tz, ambiguous):
             ax = _tz_localize(ax, tz, ambiguous)
 
         result = self._constructor(self._data, copy=copy)
-        result.set_axis(axis, ax)
+        result.set_axis(ax, axis=axis, inplace=True)
         return result.__finalize__(self)
 
     # ----------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/pandas/core/groupby.py b/pandas/core/groupby.py
index daf3381ae4e890..c8a7ee752d243f 100644
--- a/pandas/core/groupby.py
+++ b/pandas/core/groupby.py
@@ -530,10 +530,11 @@ def _set_result_index_ordered(self, result):
         if not self.grouper.is_monotonic:
             index = Index(np.concatenate(
                 self._get_indices(self.grouper.result_index)))
-            result.set_axis(self.axis, index)
+            result.set_axis(index, axis=self.axis, inplace=True)
             result = result.sort_index(axis=self.axis)
 
-        result.set_axis(self.axis, self.obj._get_axis(self.axis))
+        result.set_axis(self.obj._get_axis(self.axis), axis=self.axis,
+                        inplace=True)
         return result
 
     def _dir_additions(self):
diff --git a/pandas/core/reshape/pivot.py b/pandas/core/reshape/pivot.py
index 0581ec7484c491..0e351c9df62854 100644
--- a/pandas/core/reshape/pivot.py
+++ b/pandas/core/reshape/pivot.py
@@ -311,8 +311,9 @@ def _all_key(key):
                 except TypeError:
 
                     # we cannot reshape, so coerce the axis
-                    piece.set_axis(cat_axis, piece._get_axis(
-                        cat_axis)._to_safe_for_reshape())
+                    piece.set_axis(piece._get_axis(
+                                   cat_axis)._to_safe_for_reshape(),
+                                   axis=cat_axis, inplace=True)
                     piece[all_key] = margin[key]
 
                 table_pieces.append(piece)