diff --git a/lib/internal/abort_controller.js b/lib/internal/abort_controller.js
index 8507935d198bc7..9762280426e544 100644
--- a/lib/internal/abort_controller.js
+++ b/lib/internal/abort_controller.js
@@ -47,6 +47,8 @@ Object.defineProperties(AbortSignal.prototype, {
   aborted: { enumerable: true }
 });
 
+defineEventHandler(AbortSignal.prototype, 'abort');
+
 function abortSignal(signal) {
   if (signal[kAborted]) return;
   signal[kAborted] = true;
@@ -64,7 +66,6 @@ class AbortController {
   constructor() {
     this[kSignal] = new AbortSignal();
     emitExperimentalWarning('AbortController');
-    defineEventHandler(this[kSignal], 'abort');
   }
 
   get signal() { return this[kSignal]; }
diff --git a/lib/internal/event_target.js b/lib/internal/event_target.js
index 30ee46909e6274..fef80c65d97ba3 100644
--- a/lib/internal/event_target.js
+++ b/lib/internal/event_target.js
@@ -4,16 +4,15 @@ const {
   ArrayFrom,
   Boolean,
   Error,
-  Map,
   NumberIsInteger,
   Object,
   ObjectDefineProperty,
   ObjectGetOwnPropertyDescriptor,
+  SafeMap,
   String,
   Symbol,
   SymbolFor,
   SymbolToStringTag,
-  SafeWeakMap,
   SafeWeakSet,
 } = primordials;
 
@@ -35,6 +34,7 @@ const kIsEventTarget = SymbolFor('nodejs.event_target');
 const kEvents = Symbol('kEvents');
 const kStop = Symbol('kStop');
 const kTarget = Symbol('kTarget');
+const kHandlers = Symbol('khandlers');
 
 const kHybridDispatch = Symbol.for('nodejs.internal.kHybridDispatch');
 const kCreateEvent = Symbol('kCreateEvent');
@@ -218,7 +218,7 @@ class Listener {
 }
 
 function initEventTarget(self) {
-  self[kEvents] = new Map();
+  self[kEvents] = new SafeMap();
 }
 
 class EventTarget {
@@ -577,27 +577,24 @@ function emitUnhandledRejectionOrErr(that, err, event) {
   process.emit('error', err, event);
 }
 
-// A map of emitter -> map of name -> handler
-const eventHandlerValueMap = new SafeWeakMap();
-
 function defineEventHandler(emitter, name) {
   // 8.1.5.1 Event handlers - basically `on[eventName]` attributes
   ObjectDefineProperty(emitter, `on${name}`, {
     get() {
-      return eventHandlerValueMap.get(this)?.get(name);
+      return this[kHandlers]?.get(name);
     },
     set(value) {
-      const oldValue = eventHandlerValueMap.get(this)?.get(name);
+      const oldValue = this[kHandlers]?.get(name);
       if (oldValue) {
         this.removeEventListener(name, oldValue);
       }
       if (typeof value === 'function') {
         this.addEventListener(name, value);
       }
-      if (!eventHandlerValueMap.has(this)) {
-        eventHandlerValueMap.set(this, new Map());
+      if (!this[kHandlers]) {
+        this[kHandlers] = new SafeMap();
       }
-      eventHandlerValueMap.get(this).set(name, value);
+      this[kHandlers].set(name, value);
     },
     configurable: true,
     enumerable: true
diff --git a/lib/internal/worker/io.js b/lib/internal/worker/io.js
index b2fed9f06ff35c..406c8e77fd3375 100644
--- a/lib/internal/worker/io.js
+++ b/lib/internal/worker/io.js
@@ -99,8 +99,6 @@ ObjectDefineProperty(
 // This is called from inside the `MessagePort` constructor.
 function oninit() {
   initNodeEventTarget(this);
-  defineEventHandler(this, 'message');
-  defineEventHandler(this, 'messageerror');
   setupPortReferencing(this, this, 'message');
 }