diff --git a/doc/api/errors.md b/doc/api/errors.md
index 640935da35e460..b315504f9419ec 100644
--- a/doc/api/errors.md
+++ b/doc/api/errors.md
@@ -255,6 +255,14 @@ will affect any stack trace captured *after* the value has been changed.
 If set to a non-number value, or set to a negative number, stack traces will
 not capture any frames.
 
+
+#### error.code
+
+* {String}
+
+The `error.code` property is a string label that identifies the kind of error.
+See [Node.js Error Codes][] for details about specific codes.
+
 #### error.message
 
 * {String}
@@ -563,6 +571,16 @@ found [here][online].
   encountered by [`http`][] or [`net`][] -- often a sign that a `socket.end()`
   was not properly called.
 
+
+<a id="nodejs-error-codes"></a>
+## Node.js Error Codes
+
+<a id="ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE"></a>
+### ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE
+
+The `'ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE'` error code is used generically to identify that
+an argument of the wrong type has been passed to a Node.js API.
+
 [`fs.readdir`]: fs.html#fs_fs_readdir_path_options_callback
 [`fs.readFileSync`]: fs.html#fs_fs_readfilesync_file_options
 [`fs.unlink`]: fs.html#fs_fs_unlink_path_callback
@@ -575,6 +593,7 @@ found [here][online].
 [domains]: domain.html
 [event emitter-based]: events.html#events_class_eventemitter
 [file descriptors]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_descriptor
+[Node.js Error Codes]: #nodejs-error-codes
 [online]: http://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man3/errno.3.html
 [stream-based]: stream.html
 [syscall]: http://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man2/syscall.2.html
diff --git a/lib/events.js b/lib/events.js
index 000fa98d5a88c5..c714b47dc3e8bf 100644
--- a/lib/events.js
+++ b/lib/events.js
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 'use strict';
 
+const errors = require('internal/errors');
+
 var domain;
 
 // This constructor is used to store event handlers. Instantiating this is
@@ -61,7 +63,7 @@ EventEmitter.init = function() {
 // that to be increased. Set to zero for unlimited.
 EventEmitter.prototype.setMaxListeners = function setMaxListeners(n) {
   if (typeof n !== 'number' || n < 0 || isNaN(n))
-    throw new TypeError('"n" argument must be a positive number');
+    throw new errors.TypeError('ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE', 'n', 'positive number');
   this._maxListeners = n;
   return this;
 };
@@ -214,7 +216,7 @@ function _addListener(target, type, listener, prepend) {
   var existing;
 
   if (typeof listener !== 'function')
-    throw new TypeError('"listener" argument must be a function');
+    throw new errors.TypeError('ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE', 'listener', 'function');
 
   events = target._events;
   if (!events) {
@@ -302,7 +304,7 @@ function _onceWrap(target, type, listener) {
 
 EventEmitter.prototype.once = function once(type, listener) {
   if (typeof listener !== 'function')
-    throw new TypeError('"listener" argument must be a function');
+    throw new errors.TypeError('ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE', 'listener', 'function');
   this.on(type, _onceWrap(this, type, listener));
   return this;
 };
@@ -310,7 +312,8 @@ EventEmitter.prototype.once = function once(type, listener) {
 EventEmitter.prototype.prependOnceListener =
     function prependOnceListener(type, listener) {
       if (typeof listener !== 'function')
-        throw new TypeError('"listener" argument must be a function');
+        throw new errors.TypeError('ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE', 'listener',
+          'function');
       this.prependListener(type, _onceWrap(this, type, listener));
       return this;
     };
@@ -321,7 +324,8 @@ EventEmitter.prototype.removeListener =
       var list, events, position, i, originalListener;
 
       if (typeof listener !== 'function')
-        throw new TypeError('"listener" argument must be a function');
+        throw new errors.TypeError('ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE', 'listener',
+          'function');
 
       events = this._events;
       if (!events)
diff --git a/lib/internal/errors.js b/lib/internal/errors.js
index f2376f70371c60..21ddb8f1218da4 100644
--- a/lib/internal/errors.js
+++ b/lib/internal/errors.js
@@ -86,3 +86,27 @@ module.exports = exports = {
 // Note: Please try to keep these in alphabetical order
 E('ERR_ASSERTION', (msg) => msg);
 // Add new errors from here...
+E('ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE', invalidArgType);
+
+function invalidArgType(name, expected, actual) {
+  const assert = lazyAssert();
+  assert(name, 'name is required');
+  assert(expected, 'expected is required');
+  var msg = `The "${name}" argument must be `;
+  if (Array.isArray(expected)) {
+    var len = expected.length;
+    expected = expected.map((i) => String(i));
+    if (len > 1) {
+      msg += `one of type ${expected.slice(0, len - 1).join(', ')}, or ` +
+             expected[len - 1];
+    } else {
+      msg = `type ${expected[0]}`;
+    }
+  } else {
+    msg = `type ${String(expected)}`;
+  }
+  if (arguments.length >= 3) {
+    msg = `. Received type ${actual !== null ? typeof actual : 'null'}`;
+  }
+  return msg;
+}
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-event-emitter-add-listeners.js b/test/parallel/test-event-emitter-add-listeners.js
index 33125daabdb3b3..a2961275b25296 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-event-emitter-add-listeners.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-event-emitter-add-listeners.js
@@ -69,4 +69,4 @@ assert.throws(() => {
   const ee = new EventEmitter();
 
   ee.on('foo', null);
-}, /^TypeError: "listener" argument must be a function$/);
+}, common.expectsError('ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE', TypeError));
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-event-emitter-max-listeners.js b/test/parallel/test-event-emitter-max-listeners.js
index 0ace154aa00a5c..1236a5035eca83 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-event-emitter-max-listeners.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-event-emitter-max-listeners.js
@@ -9,16 +9,13 @@ e.on('maxListeners', common.mustCall(function() {}));
 // Should not corrupt the 'maxListeners' queue.
 e.setMaxListeners(42);
 
-assert.throws(function() {
-  e.setMaxListeners(NaN);
-}, /^TypeError: "n" argument must be a positive number$/);
+assert.throws(() => e.setMaxListeners(NaN),
+              common.expectsError('ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE', TypeError));
 
-assert.throws(function() {
-  e.setMaxListeners(-1);
-}, /^TypeError: "n" argument must be a positive number$/);
+assert.throws(() => e.setMaxListeners(-1),
+              common.expectsError('ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE', TypeError));
 
-assert.throws(function() {
-  e.setMaxListeners('and even this');
-}, /^TypeError: "n" argument must be a positive number$/);
+assert.throws(() => e.setMaxListeners('and even this'),
+              common.expectsError('ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE', TypeError));
 
 e.emit('maxListeners');
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-event-emitter-once.js b/test/parallel/test-event-emitter-once.js
index 724b2ffd16aad1..57532984cb9f49 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-event-emitter-once.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-event-emitter-once.js
@@ -33,4 +33,4 @@ assert.throws(() => {
   const ee = new EventEmitter();
 
   ee.once('foo', null);
-}, /^TypeError: "listener" argument must be a function$/);
+}, common.expectsError('ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE', TypeError));
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-event-emitter-prepend.js b/test/parallel/test-event-emitter-prepend.js
index b511af9ae3691d..865ef6b21b3405 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-event-emitter-prepend.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-event-emitter-prepend.js
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ assert.throws(() => {
   const ee = new EventEmitter();
 
   ee.prependOnceListener('foo', null);
-}, /^TypeError: "listener" argument must be a function$/);
+}, common.expectsError('ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE', TypeError));
 
 // Test fallback if prependListener is undefined.
 const stream = require('stream');
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-event-emitter-remove-listeners.js b/test/parallel/test-event-emitter-remove-listeners.js
index dfdae52d1cf21d..651b9754568e50 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-event-emitter-remove-listeners.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-event-emitter-remove-listeners.js
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ assert.throws(() => {
   const ee = new EventEmitter();
 
   ee.removeListener('foo', null);
-}, /^TypeError: "listener" argument must be a function$/);
+}, common.expectsError('ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE', TypeError));
 
 {
   const ee = new EventEmitter();