diff --git a/tools/perf/arch/arm64/util/arm-spe.c b/tools/perf/arch/arm64/util/arm-spe.c
index 2be99fdf997d..59a85e6f3aa3 100644
--- a/tools/perf/arch/arm64/util/arm-spe.c
+++ b/tools/perf/arch/arm64/util/arm-spe.c
@@ -188,9 +188,9 @@ static int arm_spe_recording_options(struct auxtrace_record *itr,
 
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, evsel) {
 		if (evsel__is_aux_event(evsel)) {
-			if (!strstarts(evsel->pmu_name, ARM_SPE_PMU_NAME)) {
+			if (!strstarts(evsel->pmu->name, ARM_SPE_PMU_NAME)) {
 				pr_err("Found unexpected auxtrace event: %s\n",
-				       evsel->pmu_name);
+				       evsel->pmu->name);
 				return -EINVAL;
 			}
 			opts->full_auxtrace = true;
diff --git a/tools/perf/arch/x86/util/evsel.c b/tools/perf/arch/x86/util/evsel.c
index ec2ac3bbb76f..cf7c116eeb8e 100644
--- a/tools/perf/arch/x86/util/evsel.c
+++ b/tools/perf/arch/x86/util/evsel.c
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ int arch_evsel__hw_name(struct evsel *evsel, char *bf, size_t size)
 		return  scnprintf(bf, size, "%s", event_name);
 
 	return scnprintf(bf, size, "%s/%s/",
-			 evsel->pmu_name ? evsel->pmu_name : "cpu",
+			 evsel->pmu ? evsel->pmu->name : "cpu",
 			 event_name);
 }
 
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ int arch_evsel__open_strerror(struct evsel *evsel, char *msg, size_t size)
 		return 0;
 
 	if (!evsel->core.attr.precise_ip &&
-	    !(evsel->pmu_name && !strncmp(evsel->pmu_name, "ibs", 3)))
+	    !(evsel->pmu && !strncmp(evsel->pmu->name, "ibs", 3)))
 		return 0;
 
 	/* More verbose IBS errors. */
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/parse-events.c b/tools/perf/tests/parse-events.c
index 9e3086d02150..78e999f03d2d 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/parse-events.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/parse-events.c
@@ -730,7 +730,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_pmu_events(struct evlist *evlist)
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist->core.nr_entries);
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong type", PERF_TYPE_RAW == evsel->core.attr.type ||
-				      strcmp(evsel->pmu_name, "cpu"));
+				      strcmp(evsel->pmu->name, "cpu"));
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong exclude_user",
 			!evsel->core.attr.exclude_user);
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong exclude_kernel",
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evlist.c b/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
index bace277fa77d..4835d5aa5c48 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
@@ -2576,7 +2576,8 @@ void evlist__uniquify_name(struct evlist *evlist)
 		else
 			attributes = empty_attributes;
 
-		if (asprintf(&new_name, "%s/%s/%s", pos->pmu_name, pos->name, attributes + 1)) {
+		if (asprintf(&new_name, "%s/%s/%s", pos->pmu ? pos->pmu->name : "",
+			     pos->name, attributes + 1)) {
 			free(pos->name);
 			pos->name = new_name;
 		} else {
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evsel.c b/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
index 00178643b198..56f3c2183437 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
@@ -296,7 +296,6 @@ void evsel__init(struct evsel *evsel,
 	evsel->metric_events = NULL;
 	evsel->per_pkg_mask  = NULL;
 	evsel->collect_stat  = false;
-	evsel->pmu_name      = NULL;
 	evsel->group_pmu_name = NULL;
 	evsel->skippable     = false;
 	evsel->alternate_hw_config = PERF_COUNT_HW_MAX;
@@ -394,11 +393,6 @@ struct evsel *evsel__clone(struct evsel *orig)
 		if (evsel->group_name == NULL)
 			goto out_err;
 	}
-	if (orig->pmu_name) {
-		evsel->pmu_name = strdup(orig->pmu_name);
-		if (evsel->pmu_name == NULL)
-			goto out_err;
-	}
 	if (orig->group_pmu_name) {
 		evsel->group_pmu_name = strdup(orig->group_pmu_name);
 		if (evsel->group_pmu_name == NULL)
@@ -1497,7 +1491,6 @@ void evsel__exit(struct evsel *evsel)
 	zfree(&evsel->group_name);
 	zfree(&evsel->name);
 	zfree(&evsel->filter);
-	zfree(&evsel->pmu_name);
 	zfree(&evsel->group_pmu_name);
 	zfree(&evsel->unit);
 	zfree(&evsel->metric_id);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evsel.h b/tools/perf/util/evsel.h
index cf6f11fdfd06..3e751ea769ac 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evsel.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evsel.h
@@ -72,7 +72,6 @@ struct evsel {
 	struct {
 		char			*name;
 		char			*group_name;
-		const char		*pmu_name;
 		const char		*group_pmu_name;
 #ifdef HAVE_LIBTRACEEVENT
 		struct tep_event	*tp_format;
@@ -184,7 +183,7 @@ struct evsel {
 	unsigned long		open_flags;
 	int			precise_ip_original;
 
-	/* for missing_features */
+	/* The PMU the event is from. Used for missing_features, PMU name, etc. */
 	struct perf_pmu		*pmu;
 
 	/* For tool events */
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/metricgroup.c b/tools/perf/util/metricgroup.c
index 4dff3e925a47..9c6fa6b4f628 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/metricgroup.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/metricgroup.c
@@ -297,8 +297,8 @@ static int setup_metric_events(const char *pmu, struct hashmap *ids,
 		struct expr_id_data *val_ptr;
 
 		/* Don't match events for the wrong hybrid PMU. */
-		if (!all_pmus && ev->pmu_name && evsel__is_hybrid(ev) &&
-		    strcmp(ev->pmu_name, pmu))
+		if (!all_pmus && ev->pmu && evsel__is_hybrid(ev) &&
+		    strcmp(ev->pmu->name, pmu))
 			continue;
 		/*
 		 * Check for duplicate events with the same name. For
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c b/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c
index fcc4dab618be..e96cf13dc396 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c
@@ -263,7 +263,6 @@ __add_event(struct list_head *list, int *idx,
 	evsel->core.is_pmu_core = pmu ? pmu->is_core : false;
 	evsel->auto_merge_stats = auto_merge_stats;
 	evsel->pmu = pmu;
-	evsel->pmu_name = pmu ? strdup(pmu->name) : NULL;
 	evsel->alternate_hw_config = alternate_hw_config;
 
 	if (name)
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/stat-shadow.c b/tools/perf/util/stat-shadow.c
index dd709a731574..3ce756b8ede5 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/stat-shadow.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/stat-shadow.c
@@ -573,7 +573,7 @@ static void perf_stat__print_metricgroup_header(struct perf_stat_config *config,
 {
 	bool need_full_name = perf_pmus__num_core_pmus() > 1;
 	static const char *last_name;
-	static const char *last_pmu;
+	static const struct perf_pmu *last_pmu;
 	char full_name[64];
 
 	/*
@@ -584,21 +584,21 @@ static void perf_stat__print_metricgroup_header(struct perf_stat_config *config,
 	 * different metric events.
 	 */
 	if (last_name && !strcmp(last_name, name)) {
-		if (!need_full_name || !strcmp(last_pmu, evsel->pmu_name)) {
+		if (!need_full_name || last_pmu != evsel->pmu) {
 			out->print_metricgroup_header(config, ctxp, NULL);
 			return;
 		}
 	}
 
-	if (need_full_name)
-		scnprintf(full_name, sizeof(full_name), "%s (%s)", name, evsel->pmu_name);
+	if (need_full_name && evsel->pmu)
+		scnprintf(full_name, sizeof(full_name), "%s (%s)", name, evsel->pmu->name);
 	else
 		scnprintf(full_name, sizeof(full_name), "%s", name);
 
 	out->print_metricgroup_header(config, ctxp, full_name);
 
 	last_name = name;
-	last_pmu = evsel->pmu_name;
+	last_pmu = evsel->pmu;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/stat.c b/tools/perf/util/stat.c
index 0bd5467389e4..7c2ccdcc3fdb 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/stat.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/stat.c
@@ -553,7 +553,7 @@ static bool evsel__is_alias(struct evsel *evsel_a, struct evsel *evsel_b)
 	if (evsel__is_clock(evsel_a) != evsel__is_clock(evsel_b))
 		return false;
 
-	return !!strcmp(evsel_a->pmu_name, evsel_b->pmu_name);
+	return evsel_a->pmu != evsel_b->pmu;
 }
 
 static void evsel__merge_aliases(struct evsel *evsel)
