diff --git a/benchmark/events/ee-add-remove.js b/benchmark/events/ee-add-remove.js
index 7b6ec35f29b636..f4219d5491bace 100644
--- a/benchmark/events/ee-add-remove.js
+++ b/benchmark/events/ee-add-remove.js
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 const common = require('../common.js');
 const events = require('events');
 
-const bench = common.createBenchmark(main, { n: [25e4] });
+const bench = common.createBenchmark(main, { n: [5e6] });
 
 function main(conf) {
   const n = conf.n | 0;
diff --git a/benchmark/events/ee-emit.js b/benchmark/events/ee-emit.js
index 3d7eb43b228b71..0a6b842b7c38de 100644
--- a/benchmark/events/ee-emit.js
+++ b/benchmark/events/ee-emit.js
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ const common = require('../common.js');
 const EventEmitter = require('events').EventEmitter;
 
 const bench = common.createBenchmark(main, {
-  n: [2e6],
+  n: [2e7],
   argc: [0, 2, 4, 10],
   listeners: [1, 5, 10],
 });
diff --git a/benchmark/events/ee-listeners-many.js b/benchmark/events/ee-listeners-many.js
index 6cb0682b1ca9c3..6173244814d5ad 100644
--- a/benchmark/events/ee-listeners-many.js
+++ b/benchmark/events/ee-listeners-many.js
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 const common = require('../common.js');
 const EventEmitter = require('events').EventEmitter;
 
-const bench = common.createBenchmark(main, { n: [5e6] });
+const bench = common.createBenchmark(main, { n: [1e7] });
 
 function main(conf) {
   const n = conf.n | 0;
diff --git a/benchmark/events/ee-listeners.js b/benchmark/events/ee-listeners.js
index dff73de0b17fc4..53e24bd750af9f 100644
--- a/benchmark/events/ee-listeners.js
+++ b/benchmark/events/ee-listeners.js
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 const common = require('../common.js');
 const EventEmitter = require('events').EventEmitter;
 
-const bench = common.createBenchmark(main, { n: [5e6] });
+const bench = common.createBenchmark(main, { n: [5e7] });
 
 function main(conf) {
   const n = conf.n | 0;
diff --git a/lib/events.js b/lib/events.js
index 2f91b77c2b7a59..fab11d0d61f32f 100644
--- a/lib/events.js
+++ b/lib/events.js
@@ -375,13 +375,9 @@ EventEmitter.prototype.removeListener =
         return this;
 
       if (list === listener || list.listener === listener) {
-        if (events.size === 1)
-          this[kEvents] = undefined;
-        else {
-          events.delete(type);
-          if (events.has('removeListener'))
-            this.emit('removeListener', type, list.listener || listener);
-        }
+        events.delete(type);
+        if (events.size && events.has('removeListener'))
+          this.emit('removeListener', type, list.listener || listener);
         return this;
       }
 
@@ -434,14 +430,10 @@ EventEmitter.prototype.removeAllListeners =
 
       // not listening for removeListener, no need to emit
       if (!events.has('removeListener')) {
-        if (arguments.length === 0) {
-          this[kEvents] = undefined;
-        } else if (events.has(type)) {
-          if (events.size === 1)
-            this[kEvents] = undefined;
-          else
-            events.delete(type);
-        }
+        if (arguments.length === 0)
+          this[kEvents] = new Map();
+        else
+          events.delete(type);
         return this;
       }
 
@@ -454,7 +446,7 @@ EventEmitter.prototype.removeAllListeners =
           this.removeAllListeners(key);
         }
         this.removeAllListeners('removeListener');
-        this[kEvents] = undefined;
+        this[kEvents] = new Map();
         return this;
       }
 
@@ -475,7 +467,7 @@ EventEmitter.prototype.removeAllListeners =
 EventEmitter.prototype.listeners = function listeners(type, unwrap = true) {
   const events = this[kEvents];
 
-  if (events === undefined)
+  if (events === undefined || !events.size)
     return [];
 
   const evlistener = events.get(type);