diff --git a/system/include/emscripten/em_asm.h b/system/include/emscripten/em_asm.h
index 26d457cb6b3eb..3128cea4311ce 100644
--- a/system/include/emscripten/em_asm.h
+++ b/system/include/emscripten/em_asm.h
@@ -175,14 +175,16 @@ void emscripten_asm_const_async_on_main_thread(
 // then wrap the whole code block inside parentheses (). See tests/core/test_em_asm_2.cpp
 // for example code snippets.
 
+#define CODE_EXPR(code) ({ __attribute__((section("em_asm"), aligned(1))) static const char x[] = code; x; })
+
 // Runs the given JavaScript code on the calling thread (synchronously), and returns no value back.
-#define EM_ASM(code, ...) ((void)emscripten_asm_const_int(#code _EM_ASM_PREP_ARGS(__VA_ARGS__)))
+#define EM_ASM(code, ...) ((void)emscripten_asm_const_int(CODE_EXPR(#code) _EM_ASM_PREP_ARGS(__VA_ARGS__)))
 
 // Runs the given JavaScript code on the calling thread (synchronously), and returns an integer back.
-#define EM_ASM_INT(code, ...) emscripten_asm_const_int(#code _EM_ASM_PREP_ARGS(__VA_ARGS__))
+#define EM_ASM_INT(code, ...) emscripten_asm_const_int(CODE_EXPR(#code) _EM_ASM_PREP_ARGS(__VA_ARGS__))
 
 // Runs the given JavaScript code on the calling thread (synchronously), and returns a double back.
-#define EM_ASM_DOUBLE(code, ...) emscripten_asm_const_double(#code _EM_ASM_PREP_ARGS(__VA_ARGS__))
+#define EM_ASM_DOUBLE(code, ...) emscripten_asm_const_double(CODE_EXPR(#code) _EM_ASM_PREP_ARGS(__VA_ARGS__))
 
 // Runs the given JavaScript code synchronously on the main browser thread, and returns no value back.
 // Call this function for example to access DOM elements in a pthread when building with -s USE_PTHREADS=1.
@@ -193,29 +195,28 @@ void emscripten_asm_const_async_on_main_thread(
 // a return value back, consider using the function MAIN_THREAD_ASYNC_EM_ASM() instead, which will not block.
 // In single-threaded builds (including proxy-to-worker), MAIN_THREAD_EM_ASM*()
 // functions are direct aliases to the corresponding EM_ASM*() family of functions.
-#define MAIN_THREAD_EM_ASM(code, ...) ((void)emscripten_asm_const_int_sync_on_main_thread(#code _EM_ASM_PREP_ARGS(__VA_ARGS__)))
+#define MAIN_THREAD_EM_ASM(code, ...) ((void)emscripten_asm_const_int_sync_on_main_thread(CODE_EXPR(#code) _EM_ASM_PREP_ARGS(__VA_ARGS__)))
 
 // Runs the given JavaScript code synchronously on the main browser thread, and returns an integer back.
 // The same considerations apply as with MAIN_THREAD_EM_ASM().
-#define MAIN_THREAD_EM_ASM_INT(code, ...) emscripten_asm_const_int_sync_on_main_thread(#code _EM_ASM_PREP_ARGS(__VA_ARGS__))
+#define MAIN_THREAD_EM_ASM_INT(code, ...) emscripten_asm_const_int_sync_on_main_thread(CODE_EXPR(#code) _EM_ASM_PREP_ARGS(__VA_ARGS__))
 
 // Runs the given JavaScript code synchronously on the main browser thread, and returns a double back.
 // The same considerations apply as with MAIN_THREAD_EM_ASM().
-#define MAIN_THREAD_EM_ASM_DOUBLE(code, ...) emscripten_asm_const_double_sync_on_main_thread(#code _EM_ASM_PREP_ARGS(__VA_ARGS__))
+#define MAIN_THREAD_EM_ASM_DOUBLE(code, ...) emscripten_asm_const_double_sync_on_main_thread(CODE_EXPR(#code) _EM_ASM_PREP_ARGS(__VA_ARGS__))
 
 // Asynchronously dispatches the given JavaScript code to be run on the main browser thread.
 // If the calling thread is the main browser thread, then the specified JavaScript code is executed
 // synchronously. Otherwise an event will be queued on the main browser thread to execute the call
-// later (think postMessage()), and this call will immediately return without waiting. Be sure to
-// guard any accesses to shared memory on the heap inside the JavaScript code with appropriate locking.
-#define MAIN_THREAD_ASYNC_EM_ASM(code, ...) ((void)emscripten_asm_const_async_on_main_thread(#code _EM_ASM_PREP_ARGS(__VA_ARGS__)))
+// later (think postMessage()), and this call will immediately return without waiting. Be sure to guard any accesses to shared memory on the heap inside the JavaScript code with appropriate locking.
+#define MAIN_THREAD_ASYNC_EM_ASM(code, ...) ((void)emscripten_asm_const_async_on_main_thread(CODE_EXPR(#code) _EM_ASM_PREP_ARGS(__VA_ARGS__)))
 
 // Old forms for compatibility, no need to use these.
 // Replace EM_ASM_, EM_ASM_ARGS and EM_ASM_INT_V with EM_ASM_INT,
 // and EM_ASM_DOUBLE_V with EM_ASM_DOUBLE.
-#define EM_ASM_(code, ...) emscripten_asm_const_int(#code _EM_ASM_PREP_ARGS(__VA_ARGS__))
-#define EM_ASM_ARGS(code, ...) emscripten_asm_const_int(#code _EM_ASM_PREP_ARGS(__VA_ARGS__))
-#define EM_ASM_INT_V(code) EM_ASM_INT(#code)
-#define EM_ASM_DOUBLE_V(code) EM_ASM_DOUBLE(#code)
+#define EM_ASM_(code, ...) emscripten_asm_const_int(CODE_EXPR(#code) _EM_ASM_PREP_ARGS(__VA_ARGS__))
+#define EM_ASM_ARGS(code, ...) emscripten_asm_const_int(CODE_EXPR(#code) _EM_ASM_PREP_ARGS(__VA_ARGS__))
+#define EM_ASM_INT_V(code) EM_ASM_INT(code)
+#define EM_ASM_DOUBLE_V(code) EM_ASM_DOUBLE(code)
 
 #endif // !defined(__cplusplus) && defined(__STRICT_ANSI__)
diff --git a/system/include/emscripten/em_js.h b/system/include/emscripten/em_js.h
index 02b26fd4b6adb..6a801ec2113c4 100644
--- a/system/include/emscripten/em_js.h
+++ b/system/include/emscripten/em_js.h
@@ -45,20 +45,20 @@
 // We use <::> to separate the arguments from the function body because it isn't
 // valid anywhere in a C function declaration.
 
-// Generated __em_js__-prefixed functions are read by either the JSBackend (for
-// asm.js) or by Binaryen, and the string data is extracted into the Emscripten
-// metadata dictionary under the "emJsFuncs" key. emJsFuncs itself is a
-// dictionary where the keys are function names (not prefixed with __em_js__),
-// and the values are the <::>-including description strings.
+// Generated __em_js__-prefixed functions are read by binaryen, and the string
+// data is extracted into the Emscripten metadata dictionary under the
+// "emJsFuncs" key. emJsFuncs itself is a dictionary where the keys are function
+// names (not prefixed with __em_js__), and the values are the <::>-including
+// description strings.
 
 // emJsFuncs metadata is read in emscripten.py's create_em_js, which creates an
 // array of JS function strings to be included in the JS output.
 
-#define EM_JS(ret, name, params, ...)          \
-  _EM_JS_CPP_BEGIN                             \
-  extern ret name params EM_IMPORT(name);      \
-  __attribute__((used, visibility("default"))) \
-  const char* __em_js__##name() {              \
-    return #params "<::>" #__VA_ARGS__;        \
-  }                                            \
+#define EM_JS(ret, name, params, ...)                                                              \
+  _EM_JS_CPP_BEGIN                                                                                 \
+  extern ret name params EM_IMPORT(name);                                                          \
+  __attribute__((used, visibility("default"))) const char* __em_js__##name() {                     \
+    __attribute__((section("em_js"), aligned(1))) static const char s[] = #params "<::>" #__VA_ARGS__;          \
+    return s;                                                                                      \
+  }                                                                                                \
   _EM_JS_CPP_END
diff --git a/tests/test_core.py b/tests/test_core.py
index b0fede662f76f..7fd2738390f3a 100644
--- a/tests/test_core.py
+++ b/tests/test_core.py
@@ -1912,17 +1912,20 @@ def test_em_asm_arguments_side_effects(self):
     self.do_run_in_out_file_test('tests', 'core', 'test_em_asm_arguments_side_effects.cpp', force_c=True)
 
   @parameterized({
-    'normal': ([],),
-    'linked': (['-s', 'MAIN_MODULE'],),
+    '': ([], False),
+    'c': ([], True),
+    'linked': (['-s', 'MAIN_MODULE'], False),
+    'linked_c': (['-s', 'MAIN_MODULE'], True),
   })
-  def test_em_js(self, args):
+  def test_em_js(self, args, force_c):
     if 'MAIN_MODULE' in args and not self.is_wasm():
       self.skipTest('main module support for non-wasm')
     if '-fsanitize=address' in self.emcc_args:
       self.skipTest('no dynamic library support in asan yet')
     self.emcc_args += args + ['-s', 'EXPORTED_FUNCTIONS=["_main","_malloc"]']
-    self.do_run_in_out_file_test('tests', 'core', 'test_em_js.cpp')
-    self.do_run_in_out_file_test('tests', 'core', 'test_em_js.cpp', force_c=True)
+
+    self.do_run_in_out_file_test('tests', 'core', 'test_em_js.cpp', force_c=force_c)
+    self.assertContained("no args returning int", open('test_em_js.js').read())
 
   def test_runtime_stacksave(self):
     self.do_runf(path_from_root('tests', 'core', 'test_runtime_stacksave.c'), 'success')
diff --git a/tests/test_other.py b/tests/test_other.py
index 329ec0a12cddd..c2abe67aca713 100644
--- a/tests/test_other.py
+++ b/tests/test_other.py
@@ -7018,7 +7018,7 @@ def test_export_aliasee(self):
     self.run_process(cmd)
 
     # build main module
-    args = ['-s', 'EXPORTED_FUNCTIONS=["_main", "_foo"]', '-s', 'MAIN_MODULE=2', '-s', 'EXIT_RUNTIME', '-lnodefs.js']
+    args = ['-g', '-s', 'EXPORTED_FUNCTIONS=["_main", "_foo"]', '-s', 'MAIN_MODULE=2', '-s', 'EXIT_RUNTIME', '-lnodefs.js']
     cmd = [EMCC, path_from_root('tests', 'other', 'alias', 'main.c'), '-o', 'main.js'] + args
     print(' '.join(cmd))
     self.run_process(cmd)
@@ -7536,7 +7536,7 @@ def test_js_optimizer_parse_error(self):
 var ASM_CONSTS = [function() { var x = !<->5.; }];
                                         ^
 ''', '''
-  1024: function() {var x = !<->5.;}
+  1025: function() {var x = !<->5.;}
                              ^
 '''), stderr)
 
diff --git a/tools/building.py b/tools/building.py
index 38c26e4502127..99869f5c72fb5 100644
--- a/tools/building.py
+++ b/tools/building.py
@@ -570,7 +570,11 @@ def lld_flags_for_executable(external_symbol_list):
       cmd.append('--growable-table')
 
   if not Settings.SIDE_MODULE:
+    # Export these two section start symbols so that we can extact the string
+    # data that they contain.
     cmd += [
+      '--export', '__start_em_asm',
+      '--export', '__stop_em_asm',
       '-z', 'stack-size=%s' % Settings.TOTAL_STACK,
       '--initial-memory=%d' % Settings.INITIAL_MEMORY,
     ]