diff --git a/src/modularize.js b/src/modularize.js
index e6af07b5d813e..9b4b99e6265cd 100644
--- a/src/modularize.js
+++ b/src/modularize.js
@@ -7,6 +7,10 @@
 // This code implements the `-sMODULARIZE` settings by taking the generated
 // JS program code (INNER_JS_CODE) and wrapping it in a factory function.
 
+#if STRICT_JS
+"use strict";
+#endif
+
 #if SOURCE_PHASE_IMPORTS
 import source wasmModule from './{{{ WASM_BINARY_FILE }}}';
 #endif
diff --git a/src/shell.js b/src/shell.js
index ec40ac6cf3412..41294749487a4 100644
--- a/src/shell.js
+++ b/src/shell.js
@@ -3,9 +3,8 @@
  * Copyright 2010 The Emscripten Authors
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
  */
-#if STRICT_JS
+#if STRICT_JS && !MODULARIZE // MODULARIZE handles this itself
 "use strict";
-
 #endif
 
 #include "minimum_runtime_check.js"
diff --git a/test/test_core.py b/test/test_core.py
index a55bf02c9b970..29b1015c2de84 100644
--- a/test/test_core.py
+++ b/test/test_core.py
@@ -6306,7 +6306,6 @@ def test_jslib(self):
   @with_env_modify({'LC_ALL': 'latin-1', 'PYTHONUTF8': '0', 'PYTHONCOERCECLOCALE': '0'})
   @crossplatform
   @no_modularize_instance('uses MODULARIZE')
-  @no_strict_js('MODULARIZE is not compatible with STRICT_JS')
   @no_omit_asm_module_exports('MODULARIZE is not compatible with DECLARE_ASM_MODULE_EXPORTS=0')
   def test_unicode_js_library(self):
     # First verify that we have correct overridden the default python file encoding.
@@ -8038,7 +8037,6 @@ def get_wat_addr(call_index):
 
   @no_omit_asm_module_exports('MODULARIZE is not compatible with DECLARE_ASM_MODULE_EXPORTS=0')
   @no_modularize_instance('uses -sMODULARIZE')
-  @no_strict_js('MODULARIZE is not compatible with STRICT_JS')
   def test_modularize_closure_pre(self):
     # test that the combination of modularize + closure + pre-js works. in that mode,
     # closure should not minify the Module object in a way that the pre-js cannot use it.
@@ -8985,7 +8983,6 @@ def test_asan_api(self):
     self.do_core_test('test_asan_api.c', cflags=['-fsanitize=address'])
 
   @asan
-  @no_strict_js('MODULARIZE is not compatible with STRICT_JS')
   @no_omit_asm_module_exports('MODULARIZE is not compatible with DECLARE_ASM_MODULE_EXPORTS=0')
   @no_modularize_instance('uses MODULARIZE')
   def test_asan_modularized_with_closure(self):
@@ -9680,7 +9677,7 @@ def test_esm_integration(self):
     self.assertFileContents(test_file('core/test_esm_integration.expected.mjs'), read_file('hello_world.mjs'))
 
   @no_omit_asm_module_exports('MODULARIZE is not compatible with DECLARE_ASM_MODULE_EXPORTS=0')
-  @no_strict_js('MODULARIZE is not compatible with STRICT_JS')
+  @no_strict_js('EXPORT_ES6 is not compatible with STRICT_JS')
   def test_modularize_instance_hello(self):
     self.do_core_test('test_hello_world.c', cflags=['-sMODULARIZE=instance', '-Wno-experimental'])
 
@@ -9689,7 +9686,7 @@ def test_modularize_instance_hello(self):
     'pthreads': (['-pthread'],),
   })
   @no_omit_asm_module_exports('MODULARIZE is not compatible with DECLARE_ASM_MODULE_EXPORTS=0')
-  @no_strict_js('MODULARIZE is not compatible with STRICT_JS')
+  @no_strict_js('EXPORT_ES6 is not compatible with STRICT_JS')
   def test_modularize_instance(self, args):
     if args:
       self.require_pthreads()
@@ -9725,7 +9722,7 @@ def test_modularize_instance(self, args):
 
   @no_omit_asm_module_exports('MODULARIZE is not compatible with DECLARE_ASM_MODULE_EXPORTS=0')
   @no_4gb('EMBIND_AOT can\'t lower 4gb')
-  @no_strict_js('MODULARIZE is not compatible with STRICT_JS')
+  @no_strict_js('EXPORT_ES6 is not compatible with STRICT_JS')
   def test_modularize_instance_embind(self):
     self.run_process([EMXX, test_file('modularize_instance_embind.cpp'),
                       '-sMODULARIZE=instance',
diff --git a/tools/link.py b/tools/link.py
index 451a6541a1de0..bf8557e3ea27b 100644
--- a/tools/link.py
+++ b/tools/link.py
@@ -1148,7 +1148,7 @@ def limit_incoming_module_api():
     diagnostics.warning('unused-command-line-argument', '--shell-file ignored when not generating html output')
 
   if settings.STRICT:
-    if not settings.MODULARIZE:
+    if not settings.EXPORT_ES6:
       default_setting('STRICT_JS', 1)
     default_setting('DEFAULT_TO_CXX', 0)
     default_setting('IGNORE_MISSING_MAIN', 0)
diff --git a/tools/settings.py b/tools/settings.py
index 7fa264282024d..2cbdc8e04a052 100644
--- a/tools/settings.py
+++ b/tools/settings.py
@@ -135,7 +135,6 @@
     ('PTHREADS_PROFILING', 'NO_ASSERTIONS', 'only works with ASSERTIONS enabled'),
     ('SOURCE_PHASE_IMPORTS', 'NO_EXPORT_ES6', None),
     ('STANDALONE_WASM', 'MINIMAL_RUNTIME', None),
-    ('STRICT_JS', 'MODULARIZE', None),
     ('STRICT_JS', 'EXPORT_ES6', None),
     ('MINIMAL_RUNTIME_STREAMING_WASM_COMPILATION', 'MINIMAL_RUNTIME_STREAMING_WASM_INSTANTIATION', 'they are mutually exclusive'),
     ('MINIMAL_RUNTIME_STREAMING_WASM_COMPILATION', 'SINGLE_FILE', None),