diff --git a/system/lib/pthread/em_task_queue.c b/system/lib/pthread/em_task_queue.c
index d9c72f5384162..3a15d36c5b6e2 100644
--- a/system/lib/pthread/em_task_queue.c
+++ b/system/lib/pthread/em_task_queue.c
@@ -184,19 +184,24 @@ void em_task_queue_execute(em_task_queue* queue) {
 }
 
 void em_task_queue_cancel(em_task_queue* queue) {
+  queue->processing = 1;
   pthread_mutex_lock(&queue->mutex);
   while (!em_task_queue_is_empty(queue)) {
     task t = em_task_queue_dequeue(queue);
     if (t.cancel) {
+      pthread_mutex_unlock(&queue->mutex);
       t.cancel(t.arg);
+      pthread_mutex_lock(&queue->mutex);
     }
   }
   pthread_mutex_unlock(&queue->mutex);
+  queue->processing = 0;
   // Any subsequent messages to this queue (for example if a pthread struct is
   // reused for a future thread, potentially on a different worker) will require
   // a new notification. Clearing the flag is safe here because in both the
   // proxying queue and mailbox cases, there are no more outstanding references
-  // to the queue after thread shutdown.
+  // to the queue after thread shutdown. This must be the last access to the
+  // queue because cull_zombies may free it once the flag is cleared.
   queue->notification = NOTIFICATION_NONE;
 }
 
diff --git a/test/core/pthread/test_pthread_dlopen_exit.c b/test/core/pthread/test_pthread_dlopen_exit.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..37540afe1ff3b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/core/pthread/test_pthread_dlopen_exit.c
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+#include <assert.h>
+#include <dlfcn.h>
+#include <pthread.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+
+static pthread_barrier_t barrier;
+
+static void* exiting_worker(void* arg) {
+  pthread_barrier_wait(&barrier);
+  // Race thread shutdown against dynamic link synchronization.
+  return NULL;
+}
+
+static void* loader_thread(void* arg) {
+  for (int i = 0; i < NUM_ITERATIONS; ++i) {
+    char filename[32];
+    snprintf(filename, sizeof(filename), "libside%d.so", i);
+    // Pair with every exiting worker, not just the first one.
+    pthread_barrier_wait(&barrier);
+    void* handle = dlopen(filename, RTLD_NOW | RTLD_GLOBAL);
+    assert(handle && "dlopen failed");
+    int (*side_func)(void) = dlsym(handle, "side_func");
+    assert(side_func);
+    assert(side_func() == 42);
+    assert(dlclose(handle) == 0);
+  }
+  return NULL;
+}
+
+int main() {
+  assert(pthread_barrier_init(&barrier, NULL, 2) == 0);
+
+  pthread_t loader;
+  assert(pthread_create(&loader, NULL, loader_thread, NULL) == 0);
+
+  for (int i = 0; i < NUM_ITERATIONS; ++i) {
+    pthread_t worker;
+    assert(pthread_create(&worker, NULL, exiting_worker, NULL) == 0);
+    assert(pthread_join(worker, NULL) == 0);
+  }
+
+  assert(pthread_join(loader, NULL) == 0);
+  assert(pthread_barrier_destroy(&barrier) == 0);
+  puts("PASSED");
+  return 0;
+}
diff --git a/test/core/pthread/test_pthread_dlopen_exit_side.c b/test/core/pthread/test_pthread_dlopen_exit_side.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..3ee9da24d9bbf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/core/pthread/test_pthread_dlopen_exit_side.c
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+int side_func(void) {
+  return 42;
+}
diff --git a/test/test_core.py b/test/test_core.py
index 7d7785b77b47c..eac0f61fea3e8 100644
--- a/test/test_core.py
+++ b/test/test_core.py
@@ -9394,6 +9394,23 @@ def test_pthread_dlopen(self, args):
                  ['side module ctor', 'done\n', 'side module atexit'],
                  assert_all=True, cflags=args)
 
+  @needs_dylink
+  @requires_pthreads
+  def test_pthread_dlopen_exit(self):
+    iterations = 100
+    self.cflags += ['-Wno-experimental', '-pthread']
+    self.build_dlfcn_lib(test_file('core/pthread/test_pthread_dlopen_exit_side.c'))
+    # dlclose does not unload libraries, so use a fresh name each time to
+    # generate dynamic link synchronization work on every iteration.
+    for i in range(iterations):
+      shutil.copy('libside.so', f'libside{i}.so')
+
+    self.prep_dlfcn_main()
+    self.set_setting('EXIT_RUNTIME')
+    self.set_setting('PROXY_TO_PTHREAD')
+    self.do_runf('core/pthread/test_pthread_dlopen_exit.c', 'PASSED',
+                 cflags=[f'-DNUM_ITERATIONS={iterations}'])
+
   @needs_dylink
   @requires_pthreads
   @flaky('https://github.com/emscripten-core/emscripten/issues/18887')