diff --git a/pandas/_libs/window/aggregations.pyx b/pandas/_libs/window/aggregations.pyx
index afa0539014041..9e088062d7280 100644
--- a/pandas/_libs/window/aggregations.pyx
+++ b/pandas/_libs/window/aggregations.pyx
@@ -1793,19 +1793,19 @@ def ewma(float64_t[:] vals, float64_t com, int adjust, bint ignore_na, int minp)
     new_wt = 1. if adjust else alpha
 
     weighted_avg = vals[0]
-    is_observation = (weighted_avg == weighted_avg)
+    is_observation = weighted_avg == weighted_avg
     nobs = int(is_observation)
-    output[0] = weighted_avg if (nobs >= minp) else NaN
+    output[0] = weighted_avg if nobs >= minp else NaN
     old_wt = 1.
 
     with nogil:
         for i in range(1, N):
             cur = vals[i]
-            is_observation = (cur == cur)
+            is_observation = cur == cur
             nobs += is_observation
             if weighted_avg == weighted_avg:
 
-                if is_observation or (not ignore_na):
+                if is_observation or not ignore_na:
 
                     old_wt *= old_wt_factor
                     if is_observation:
@@ -1821,7 +1821,7 @@ def ewma(float64_t[:] vals, float64_t com, int adjust, bint ignore_na, int minp)
             elif is_observation:
                 weighted_avg = cur
 
-            output[i] = weighted_avg if (nobs >= minp) else NaN
+            output[i] = weighted_avg if nobs >= minp else NaN
 
     return output
 
@@ -1851,7 +1851,7 @@ def ewmcov(float64_t[:] input_x, float64_t[:] input_y,
     """
 
     cdef:
-        Py_ssize_t N = len(input_x)
+        Py_ssize_t N = len(input_x), M = len(input_y)
         float64_t alpha, old_wt_factor, new_wt, mean_x, mean_y, cov
         float64_t sum_wt, sum_wt2, old_wt, cur_x, cur_y, old_mean_x, old_mean_y
         float64_t numerator, denominator
@@ -1859,8 +1859,8 @@ def ewmcov(float64_t[:] input_x, float64_t[:] input_y,
         ndarray[float64_t] output
         bint is_observation
 
-    if <Py_ssize_t>len(input_y) != N:
-        raise ValueError(f"arrays are of different lengths ({N} and {len(input_y)})")
+    if M != N:
+        raise ValueError(f"arrays are of different lengths ({N} and {M})")
 
     output = np.empty(N, dtype=float)
     if N == 0:
@@ -1874,12 +1874,12 @@ def ewmcov(float64_t[:] input_x, float64_t[:] input_y,
 
     mean_x = input_x[0]
     mean_y = input_y[0]
-    is_observation = ((mean_x == mean_x) and (mean_y == mean_y))
+    is_observation = (mean_x == mean_x) and (mean_y == mean_y)
     nobs = int(is_observation)
     if not is_observation:
         mean_x = NaN
         mean_y = NaN
-    output[0] = (0. if bias else NaN) if (nobs >= minp) else NaN
+    output[0] = (0. if bias else NaN) if nobs >= minp else NaN
     cov = 0.
     sum_wt = 1.
     sum_wt2 = 1.
@@ -1890,10 +1890,10 @@ def ewmcov(float64_t[:] input_x, float64_t[:] input_y,
         for i in range(1, N):
             cur_x = input_x[i]
             cur_y = input_y[i]
-            is_observation = ((cur_x == cur_x) and (cur_y == cur_y))
+            is_observation = (cur_x == cur_x) and (cur_y == cur_y)
             nobs += is_observation
             if mean_x == mean_x:
-                if is_observation or (not ignore_na):
+                if is_observation or not ignore_na:
                     sum_wt *= old_wt_factor
                     sum_wt2 *= (old_wt_factor * old_wt_factor)
                     old_wt *= old_wt_factor
@@ -1929,8 +1929,8 @@ def ewmcov(float64_t[:] input_x, float64_t[:] input_y,
                 if not bias:
                     numerator = sum_wt * sum_wt
                     denominator = numerator - sum_wt2
-                    if (denominator > 0.):
-                        output[i] = ((numerator / denominator) * cov)
+                    if denominator > 0:
+                        output[i] = (numerator / denominator) * cov
                     else:
                         output[i] = NaN
                 else:
diff --git a/pandas/core/window/ewm.py b/pandas/core/window/ewm.py
index d5f2b67eeac2e..a5e30c900cae2 100644
--- a/pandas/core/window/ewm.py
+++ b/pandas/core/window/ewm.py
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+from functools import partial
 from textwrap import dedent
 
 import numpy as np
@@ -219,7 +220,7 @@ def aggregate(self, func, *args, **kwargs):
 
     agg = aggregate
 
-    def _apply(self, func, **kwargs):
+    def _apply(self, func):
         """
         Rolling statistical measure using supplied function. Designed to be
         used with passed-in Cython array-based functions.
@@ -253,23 +254,6 @@ def _apply(self, func, **kwargs):
                 results.append(values.copy())
                 continue
 
-            # if we have a string function name, wrap it
-            if isinstance(func, str):
-                cfunc = getattr(window_aggregations, func, None)
-                if cfunc is None:
-                    raise ValueError(
-                        f"we do not support this function in window_aggregations.{func}"
-                    )
-
-                def func(arg):
-                    return cfunc(
-                        arg,
-                        self.com,
-                        int(self.adjust),
-                        int(self.ignore_na),
-                        int(self.min_periods),
-                    )
-
             results.append(np.apply_along_axis(func, self.axis, values))
 
         return self._wrap_results(results, block_list, obj, exclude)
@@ -286,7 +270,15 @@ def mean(self, *args, **kwargs):
             Arguments and keyword arguments to be passed into func.
         """
         nv.validate_window_func("mean", args, kwargs)
-        return self._apply("ewma", **kwargs)
+        window_func = self._get_roll_func("ewma")
+        window_func = partial(
+            window_func,
+            com=self.com,
+            adjust=int(self.adjust),
+            ignore_na=self.ignore_na,
+            minp=int(self.min_periods),
+        )
+        return self._apply(window_func)
 
     @Substitution(name="ewm", func_name="std")
     @Appender(_doc_template)
@@ -320,7 +312,7 @@ def f(arg):
                 int(bias),
             )
 
-        return self._apply(f, **kwargs)
+        return self._apply(f)
 
     @Substitution(name="ewm", func_name="cov")
     @Appender(_doc_template)