diff --git a/docs/guide/essentials/content-scripts.md b/docs/guide/essentials/content-scripts.md
index 3c0c77a93..7c4d2dc63 100644
--- a/docs/guide/essentials/content-scripts.md
+++ b/docs/guide/essentials/content-scripts.md
@@ -591,6 +591,29 @@ For MV3, `injectScript` is synchronous and the injected script will be evaluated
 However for MV2, `injectScript` has to `fetch` the script's text content and create an inline `<script>` block. This means for MV2, your script is injected asynchronously and it will not be evaluated at the same time as your content script's `run_at`.
 :::
 
+The `script` element can be manipulated just before it is added to the DOM by using the `manipulateScript` option. This can be used to e.g. pass data to the script as shown in the example:
+
+```ts
+// entrypoints/example.content.ts
+export default defineContentScript({
+  matches: ['*://*/*'],
+  async main() {
+    await injectScript('/example-main-world.js', {
+      manipulateScript(script) {
+        script.dataset['greeting'] = 'Hello there';
+      },
+    });
+  },
+});
+```
+
+```ts
+// entrypoints/example-main-world.ts
+export default defineUnlistedScript(() => {
+  console.log(document.currentScript?.dataset['greeting']);
+});
+```
+
 ## Mounting UI to dynamic element
 
 In many cases, you may need to mount a UI to a DOM element that does not exist at the time the web page is initially loaded. To handle this, use the `autoMount` API to automatically mount the UI when the target element appears dynamically and unmount it when the element disappears. In WXT, the `anchor` option is used to target the element, enabling automatic mounting and unmounting based on its appearance and removal.
diff --git a/packages/wxt/src/utils/inject-script.ts b/packages/wxt/src/utils/inject-script.ts
index 2043e2da8..4f6b12496 100644
--- a/packages/wxt/src/utils/inject-script.ts
+++ b/packages/wxt/src/utils/inject-script.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 /** @module wxt/utils/inject-script */
 import { browser } from 'wxt/browser';
+import { waitForScriptResultEvent } from './internal/script-result';
 
 export type ScriptPublicPath = Extract<
   // @ts-expect-error: PublicPath is generated per-project
@@ -15,11 +16,13 @@ export type ScriptPublicPath = Extract<
  *
  * Make sure to add the injected script to your manifest's
  * `web_accessible_resources`.
+ *
+ * @returns The return value of the script.
  */
 export async function injectScript(
   path: ScriptPublicPath,
   options?: InjectScriptOptions,
-): Promise<void> {
+): Promise<unknown> {
   // @ts-expect-error: getURL is defined per-project, but not inside the package
   const url = browser.runtime.getURL(path);
   const script = document.createElement('script');
@@ -32,11 +35,43 @@ export async function injectScript(
     script.src = url;
   }
 
+  const loadedPromise = makeLoadedPromise(script);
+  const resultPromise = waitForScriptResultEvent(script);
+
+  await options?.manipulateScript?.(script);
+
+  (document.head ?? document.documentElement).append(script);
+
   if (!options?.keepInDom) {
-    script.onload = () => script.remove();
+    script.remove();
   }
 
-  (document.head ?? document.documentElement).append(script);
+  await loadedPromise;
+  const result = await resultPromise;
+
+  return result;
+}
+
+function makeLoadedPromise(script: HTMLScriptElement): Promise<void> {
+  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+    const onload = () => {
+      resolve();
+      cleanup();
+    };
+
+    const onerror = () => {
+      reject(new Error(`Failed to load script: ${script.src}`));
+      cleanup();
+    };
+
+    const cleanup = () => {
+      script.removeEventListener('load', onload);
+      script.removeEventListener('error', onerror);
+    };
+
+    script.addEventListener('load', onload);
+    script.addEventListener('error', onerror);
+  });
 }
 
 export interface InjectScriptOptions {
@@ -45,4 +80,12 @@ export interface InjectScriptOptions {
    * injected. To disable this behavior, set this flag to true.
    */
   keepInDom?: boolean;
+  /**
+   * Manipulate the script element just before it is added to the DOM.
+   *
+   * It can be useful for e.g. passing data to the script via the `dataset`
+   * property (which can be accessed by the script via
+   * `document.currentScript`).
+   */
+  manipulateScript?: (script: HTMLScriptElement) => Promise<void> | void;
 }
diff --git a/packages/wxt/src/utils/internal/script-result.ts b/packages/wxt/src/utils/internal/script-result.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..36a87548f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/wxt/src/utils/internal/script-result.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,161 @@
+// The `MAIN` world script cannot use `browser.runtime.id`, but the uniqueness
+// of the event name is not an issue as the event is only dispatched on a
+// specific `script` element which is detached from the document.
+const SCRIPT_RESULT_EVENT_NAME = 'wxt:script-result';
+
+/**
+ * Dispatch a `CustomEvent` for a successful script result which carries a
+ * result value.
+ */
+export function dispatchScriptSuccessEvent(
+  target: EventTarget,
+  value: unknown,
+): boolean {
+  return dispatchScriptResultEvent(target, scriptSuccess(value));
+}
+
+/**
+ * Dispatch a `CustomEvent` for a failed script result which carries an `Error`
+ * value.
+ */
+export function dispatchScriptErrorEvent(
+  target: EventTarget,
+  error: Error,
+): boolean {
+  return dispatchScriptResultEvent(target, scriptError(error));
+}
+
+function dispatchScriptResultEvent(
+  target: EventTarget,
+  result: ScriptResult,
+): boolean {
+  return target.dispatchEvent(
+    new CustomEvent(SCRIPT_RESULT_EVENT_NAME, { detail: result }),
+  );
+}
+
+/**
+ * Add a one-time event listener for a script result `CustomEvent`, and return a
+ * `Promise` which either resolves with the result value or rejects with an
+ * error depending on whether the result is successful or not.
+ */
+export function waitForScriptResultEvent(
+  target: EventTarget,
+): Promise<unknown> {
+  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+    target.addEventListener(
+      SCRIPT_RESULT_EVENT_NAME,
+      (event) => {
+        try {
+          resolve(parseScriptResultEvent(event));
+        } catch (err) {
+          reject(err);
+        }
+      },
+      { once: true },
+    );
+  });
+}
+
+function parseScriptResultEvent(event: Event): unknown {
+  if (!(event instanceof CustomEvent)) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `Expected a \`CustomEvent\`, got: \`${event.constructor.name}\``,
+    );
+  }
+
+  return parseScriptResult(event.detail as unknown);
+}
+
+type ScriptResult =
+  | { type: 'success'; value: unknown }
+  | { type: 'error'; error: Error };
+
+function scriptSuccess(value: unknown): ScriptResult {
+  return { type: 'success', value };
+}
+
+function scriptError(error: Error): ScriptResult {
+  return { type: 'error', error: deconstructError(error) };
+}
+
+function parseScriptResult(result: unknown): unknown {
+  if (!isScriptResult(result)) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `Expected a \`ScriptResult\`, got: ${JSON.stringify(result)}`,
+    );
+  }
+
+  switch (result.type) {
+    case 'success':
+      return result.value;
+    case 'error':
+      throw reconstructError(result.error);
+    default:
+      throw new Error(
+        `Impossible \`ScriptResult\`: ${JSON.stringify(result satisfies never)}`,
+      );
+  }
+}
+
+function isScriptResult(result: unknown): result is ScriptResult {
+  return (
+    result != null &&
+    typeof result === 'object' &&
+    'type' in result &&
+    typeof result.type === 'string' &&
+    ((result.type === 'success' && 'value' in result) ||
+      (result.type === 'error' &&
+        'error' in result &&
+        isDeconstructedError(result.error)))
+  );
+}
+
+/**
+ * A representation of an `Error` which can be transmitted within a
+ * `CustomEvent`.
+ */
+type DeconstructedError = {
+  name: string;
+  message: string;
+  stack?: string;
+};
+
+function deconstructError(error: Error): DeconstructedError {
+  const result: DeconstructedError = {
+    name: error.name,
+    message: error.message,
+  };
+
+  if ('stack' in error) result.stack = error.stack;
+
+  return result;
+}
+
+function reconstructError(deconstructedError: DeconstructedError): Error {
+  const error = new Error(deconstructedError.message);
+  error.name = deconstructedError.name;
+
+  if ('stack' in deconstructedError) {
+    error.stack = deconstructedError.stack;
+  } else {
+    delete error.stack;
+  }
+
+  return error;
+}
+
+function isDeconstructedError(value: unknown): value is DeconstructedError {
+  return (
+    value != null &&
+    typeof value === 'object' &&
+    'name' in value &&
+    value.name != null &&
+    typeof value.name === 'string' &&
+    'message' in value &&
+    value.message != null &&
+    typeof value.message === 'string' &&
+    (!('stack' in value) ||
+      (value.stack != null && typeof value.stack === 'string'))
+  );
+}
diff --git a/packages/wxt/src/virtual/unlisted-script-entrypoint.ts b/packages/wxt/src/virtual/unlisted-script-entrypoint.ts
index 843d9ac46..3c981a6f6 100644
--- a/packages/wxt/src/virtual/unlisted-script-entrypoint.ts
+++ b/packages/wxt/src/virtual/unlisted-script-entrypoint.ts
@@ -1,22 +1,40 @@
 import definition from 'virtual:user-unlisted-script-entrypoint';
 import { logger } from '../utils/internal/logger';
+import {
+  dispatchScriptSuccessEvent,
+  dispatchScriptErrorEvent,
+} from '../utils/internal/script-result';
 import { initPlugins } from 'virtual:wxt-plugins';
 
-const result = (async () => {
+// TODO: This only works with injectScript, not the scripting API.
+
+(async () => {
   try {
-    initPlugins();
-    return await definition.main();
-  } catch (err) {
+    const script = document.currentScript;
+    if (script === null) {
+      // This should never happen.
+      throw new Error(`\`document.currentScript\` is null!`);
+    }
+
+    try {
+      initPlugins();
+      const result = await definition.main();
+      dispatchScriptSuccessEvent(script, result);
+    } catch (error) {
+      dispatchScriptErrorEvent(
+        script,
+        error instanceof Error ? error : new Error(`${error}`),
+      );
+    }
+  } catch (outerError) {
+    // This should never happen.
     logger.error(
       `The unlisted script "${import.meta.env.ENTRYPOINT}" crashed on startup!`,
-      err,
+      outerError,
     );
-    throw err;
+    throw outerError;
   }
 })();
 
-// Return the main function's result to the background when executed via the
-// scripting API. Default export causes the IIFE to return a value.
-// https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Add-ons/WebExtensions/API/scripting/executeScript#return_value
-// Tested on both Chrome and Firefox
-export default result;
+// TODO: The build result fails without this.
+export default undefined;