diff --git a/lib/internal/abort_controller.js b/lib/internal/abort_controller.js
index dc494e920aeec2..592e46e5320ce9 100644
--- a/lib/internal/abort_controller.js
+++ b/lib/internal/abort_controller.js
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ const {
 } = primordials;
 
 const {
+  defineEventHandler,
   EventTarget,
   Event,
   kTrustEvent
@@ -53,9 +54,6 @@ function abortSignal(signal) {
   const event = new Event('abort', {
     [kTrustEvent]: true
   });
-  if (typeof signal.onabort === 'function') {
-    signal.onabort(event);
-  }
   signal.dispatchEvent(event);
 }
 
@@ -67,6 +65,7 @@ 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 4023e59bfe5359..e05ccd4b11f9ac 100644
--- a/lib/internal/event_target.js
+++ b/lib/internal/event_target.js
@@ -334,14 +334,13 @@ class EventTarget {
       }
       return event;
     };
+    if (event !== undefined)
+      event[kTarget] = this;
 
     const root = this[kEvents].get(type);
     if (root === undefined || root.next === undefined)
       return true;
 
-    if (event !== undefined)
-      event[kTarget] = this;
-
     let handler = root.next;
     let next;