diff --git a/tools/perf/pmu-events/Build b/tools/perf/pmu-events/Build
index ba2662d441c4..68227614d0b1 100644
--- a/tools/perf/pmu-events/Build
+++ b/tools/perf/pmu-events/Build
@@ -61,11 +61,11 @@ ZEN_METRICGROUPS = $(foreach x,$(ZENS),$(OUTPUT)$(x)/extra-metricgroups.json)
 
 $(ZEN_METRICS): pmu-events/amd_metrics.py $(GEN_METRIC_DEPS)
 	$(call rule_mkdir)
-	$(Q)$(call echo-cmd,gen)$(PYTHON) $< $(call model_name,$@) arch > $@
+	$(Q)$(call echo-cmd,gen)$(PYTHON) $< $(call model_name,$@) pmu-events/arch > $@
 
 $(ZEN_METRICGROUPS): pmu-events/amd_metrics.py $(GEN_METRIC_DEPS)
 	$(call rule_mkdir)
-	$(Q)$(call echo-cmd,gen)$(PYTHON) $< -metricgroups $(call model_name,$@) arch > $@
+	$(Q)$(call echo-cmd,gen)$(PYTHON) $< -metricgroups $(call model_name,$@) pmu-events/arch > $@
 
 # Generate ARM Json
 ARMS = $(shell ls -d pmu-events/arch/arm64/arm/*|grep -v cmn)
@@ -74,11 +74,11 @@ ARM_METRICGROUPS = $(foreach x,$(ARMS),$(OUTPUT)$(x)/extra-metricgroups.json)
 
 $(ARM_METRICS): pmu-events/arm64_metrics.py $(GEN_METRIC_DEPS)
 	$(call rule_mkdir)
-	$(Q)$(call echo-cmd,gen)$(PYTHON) $< $(call vendor_name,$@) $(call model_name,$@) arch > $@
+	$(Q)$(call echo-cmd,gen)$(PYTHON) $< $(call vendor_name,$@) $(call model_name,$@) pmu-events/arch > $@
 
 $(ARM_METRICGROUPS): pmu-events/arm64_metrics.py $(GEN_METRIC_DEPS)
 	$(call rule_mkdir)
-	$(Q)$(call echo-cmd,gen)$(PYTHON) $< -metricgroups $(call vendor_name,$@) $(call model_name,$@) arch > $@
+	$(Q)$(call echo-cmd,gen)$(PYTHON) $< -metricgroups $(call vendor_name,$@) $(call model_name,$@) pmu-events/arch > $@
 
 # Generate Intel Json
 INTELS = $(shell ls -d pmu-events/arch/x86/*|grep -v amdzen|grep -v mapfile.csv)
@@ -87,11 +87,11 @@ INTEL_METRICGROUPS = $(foreach x,$(INTELS),$(OUTPUT)$(x)/extra-metricgroups.json
 
 $(INTEL_METRICS): pmu-events/intel_metrics.py $(GEN_METRIC_DEPS)
 	$(call rule_mkdir)
-	$(Q)$(call echo-cmd,gen)$(PYTHON) $< $(call model_name,$@) arch > $@
+	$(Q)$(call echo-cmd,gen)$(PYTHON) $< $(call model_name,$@) pmu-events/arch > $@
 
 $(INTEL_METRICGROUPS): pmu-events/intel_metrics.py $(GEN_METRIC_DEPS)
 	$(call rule_mkdir)
-	$(Q)$(call echo-cmd,gen)$(PYTHON) $< -metricgroups $(call model_name,$@) arch > $@
+	$(Q)$(call echo-cmd,gen)$(PYTHON) $< -metricgroups $(call model_name,$@) pmu-events/arch > $@
 
 GEN_JSON = $(patsubst %,$(OUTPUT)%,$(JSON)) \
             $(LEGACY_CACHE_JSON) \
diff --git a/tools/perf/pmu-events/amd_metrics.py b/tools/perf/pmu-events/amd_metrics.py
index 5f44687d8d20..bc91d9c120fa 100755
--- a/tools/perf/pmu-events/amd_metrics.py
+++ b/tools/perf/pmu-events/amd_metrics.py
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: (LGPL-2.1 OR BSD-2-Clause)
 import argparse
 import os
-from metric import (
-    JsonEncodeMetric, JsonEncodeMetricGroupDescriptions, MetricGroup)
+from metric import (JsonEncodeMetric, JsonEncodeMetricGroupDescriptions, LoadEvents,
+                    MetricGroup)
 
 # Global command line arguments.
 _args = None
@@ -30,6 +30,9 @@ def main() -> None:
     )
     _args = parser.parse_args()
 
+    directory = f"{_args.events_path}/x86/{_args.model}/"
+    LoadEvents(directory)
+
     all_metrics = MetricGroup("", [])
 
     if _args.metricgroups:
diff --git a/tools/perf/pmu-events/arm64_metrics.py b/tools/perf/pmu-events/arm64_metrics.py
index 204b3b08c680..ac717ca3513a 100755
--- a/tools/perf/pmu-events/arm64_metrics.py
+++ b/tools/perf/pmu-events/arm64_metrics.py
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: (LGPL-2.1 OR BSD-2-Clause)
 import argparse
 import os
-from metric import (
-    JsonEncodeMetric, JsonEncodeMetricGroupDescriptions, MetricGroup)
+from metric import (JsonEncodeMetric, JsonEncodeMetricGroupDescriptions, LoadEvents,
+                    MetricGroup)
 
 # Global command line arguments.
 _args = None
@@ -31,6 +31,9 @@ def main() -> None:
     )
     _args = parser.parse_args()
 
+    directory = f"{_args.events_path}/arm64/{_args.vendor}/{_args.model}/"
+    LoadEvents(directory)
+
     all_metrics = MetricGroup("", [])
 
     if _args.metricgroups:
diff --git a/tools/perf/pmu-events/intel_metrics.py b/tools/perf/pmu-events/intel_metrics.py
index 65ada006d05a..b287ef115193 100755
--- a/tools/perf/pmu-events/intel_metrics.py
+++ b/tools/perf/pmu-events/intel_metrics.py
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: (LGPL-2.1 OR BSD-2-Clause)
 import argparse
 import os
-from metric import (
-    JsonEncodeMetric, JsonEncodeMetricGroupDescriptions, MetricGroup)
+from metric import (JsonEncodeMetric, JsonEncodeMetricGroupDescriptions, LoadEvents,
+                    MetricGroup)
 
 # Global command line arguments.
 _args = None
@@ -30,6 +30,9 @@ def main() -> None:
     )
     _args = parser.parse_args()
 
+    directory = f"{_args.events_path}/x86/{_args.model}/"
+    LoadEvents(directory)
+
     all_metrics = MetricGroup("", [])
 
     if _args.metricgroups:
diff --git a/tools/perf/pmu-events/metric.py b/tools/perf/pmu-events/metric.py
index dd8fd06940e6..e33e163b2815 100644
--- a/tools/perf/pmu-events/metric.py
+++ b/tools/perf/pmu-events/metric.py
@@ -3,10 +3,56 @@
 import ast
 import decimal
 import json
+import os
 import re
 from enum import Enum
 from typing import Dict, List, Optional, Set, Tuple, Union
 
+all_events = set()
+
+def LoadEvents(directory: str) -> None:
+  """Populate a global set of all known events for the purpose of validating Event names"""
+  global all_events
+  all_events = {
+      "context\\-switches",
+      "cpu\\-cycles",
+      "cycles",
+      "duration_time",
+      "instructions",
+      "l2_itlb_misses",
+  }
+  for file in os.listdir(os.fsencode(directory)):
+    filename = os.fsdecode(file)
+    if filename.endswith(".json"):
+      try:
+        for x in json.load(open(f"{directory}/{filename}")):
+          if "EventName" in x:
+            all_events.add(x["EventName"])
+          elif "ArchStdEvent" in x:
+            all_events.add(x["ArchStdEvent"])
+      except json.decoder.JSONDecodeError:
+        # The generated directory may be the same as the input, which
+        # causes partial json files. Ignore errors.
+        pass
+
+
+def CheckEvent(name: str) -> bool:
+  """Check the event name exists in the set of all loaded events"""
+  global all_events
+  if len(all_events) == 0:
+    # No events loaded so assume any event is good.
+    return True
+
+  if ':' in name:
+    # Remove trailing modifier.
+    name = name[:name.find(':')]
+  elif '/' in name:
+    # Name could begin with a PMU or an event, for now assume it is good.
+    return True
+
+  return name in all_events
+
+
 class MetricConstraint(Enum):
   GROUPED_EVENTS = 0
   NO_GROUP_EVENTS = 1
@@ -317,9 +363,18 @@ def _FixEscapes(s: str) -> str:
 class Event(Expression):
   """An event in an expression."""
 
-  def __init__(self, name: str, legacy_name: str = ''):
-    self.name = _FixEscapes(name)
-    self.legacy_name = _FixEscapes(legacy_name)
+  def __init__(self, *args: str):
+    error = ""
+    for name in args:
+      if CheckEvent(name):
+        self.name = _FixEscapes(name)
+        return
+      if error:
+        error += " or " + name
+      else:
+        error = name
+    global all_events
+    raise Exception(f"No event {error} in:\n{all_events}")
 
   def ToPerfJson(self):
     result = re.sub('/', '@', self.name)
@@ -338,6 +393,28 @@ class Event(Expression):
     return self
 
 
+class MetricRef(Expression):
+  """A metric reference in an expression."""
+
+  def __init__(self, name: str):
+    self.name = _FixEscapes(name)
+
+  def ToPerfJson(self):
+    return self.name
+
+  def ToPython(self):
+    return f'MetricRef(r"{self.name}")'
+
+  def Simplify(self) -> Expression:
+    return self
+
+  def Equals(self, other: Expression) -> bool:
+    return isinstance(other, MetricRef) and self.name == other.name
+
+  def Substitute(self, name: str, expression: Expression) -> Expression:
+    return self
+
+
 class Constant(Expression):
   """A constant within the expression tree."""