diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 2e014be..4248235 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ const SPEC = {
   shadow: 'open', // omit for light DOM
   template: '<input class="name"><button>Go</button>',
   css: ':host { display: block; }',
-  events: ['click'],
+  events: { click: true },
   element: {
     input: 'input.name', //                  refs.input: HTMLInputElement | null (from the tag)
     thing: '.thing', //                      refs.thing: Element | null (no tag to go on)
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ ExampleElement.observedAttributes; // readonly ('user-id' | 'min' | 'is-ready' |
 - **Light DOM**: `template` is appended on first connect; `css` is added once per element type, as a `<style>` in `<head>` or adopted into the enclosing shadow root.
 - **Refs**: a selector string is typed from its tag (last compound: `'form > button#go'` → `HTMLButtonElement`), falling back to `Element`. `[selector, Class]` types the ref as `Class`; reading it throws a `TypeError` if a match isn't an instance of `Class`. A key can't be in both `element` and `elements`.
 - **`signal`** aborts on disconnect; a new one is created on each connect. `events` are listened on the host with it.
+- **Events**: `events` maps a name to `true`, listener options, `listen<E>(options?)` for an explicit event type, or `custom<T>(options?)` for a `CustomEvent<T>` (the same as `listen<CustomEvent<T>>()`): `{ click: true, scroll: { passive: true }, 'wc:key': listen<KeyboardEvent>(), 'wc:pick': custom<number>() }`. Other names are typed from `HTMLElementEventMap` (`click` → `PointerEvent`), else `Event`. `handleEvent` receives `HandledEvent<typeof SPEC>`, a union whose `type` is literal, so `if (event.type === 'wc:pick') event.detail` narrows. A host listener can't see into a closed shadow root, so `composedPath()` stops at the host there.
 - **`base`** extends another autonomous element class; prop names that collide with its members (or `HTMLElement`'s, like `title`/`hidden`) are type errors.
 - Don't declare a subclass field with a prop's name; it would shadow the reflected accessor.
 
diff --git a/src/events.ts b/src/events.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..18f6272
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/events.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+import type { Spec } from './types.ts';
+
+/** Listener options for a host event. `signal` is the element's own and can't be set. */
+export type EventOptions = Omit<AddEventListenerOptions, 'signal'>;
+
+/**
+ * An event with an explicit type, made by {@link listen} or {@link custom}.
+ * `E` is type-only: it's what `handleEvent` receives for this entry; `never`
+ * means "type it from the name", like `true`.
+ */
+export interface EventDef<E extends Event = Event> {
+  readonly options: EventOptions | undefined;
+  /** Type-only carrier for `E`; never set at runtime. */
+  readonly event?: E;
+}
+
+/**
+ * One entry in a spec's `events` map:
+ *
+ * - `true` — listen; the event is typed from its name (`click` →
+ *   `PointerEvent`), or `Event` for a name `HTMLElementEventMap` doesn't know.
+ * - `{ passive: true }` — the same, with listener options.
+ * - `listen<E>(options?)` — an event of type `E`, for a name
+ *   `HTMLElementEventMap` doesn't know (or doesn't type the way it's dispatched).
+ * - `custom<T>(options?)` — a `CustomEvent<T>`; short for `listen<CustomEvent<T>>()`.
+ */
+export type EventEntry = true | EventOptions | EventDef;
+
+/**
+ * An event of type `E`, for a spec's `events` map. Without a type argument
+ * it's the same as `true` (or the options object on its own):
+ *
+ * ```ts
+ * events: {
+ *   'wc:key': listen<KeyboardEvent>(),
+ *   'wc:pick': listen<CustomEvent<number>>({ capture: true }),
+ * }
+ * ```
+ */
+// `E` is only carried in the return type, for `handleEvent`; that's its purpose.
+// `NoInfer` keeps the spec's contextual `EventDef<Event>` from inferring
+// `E = Event`, so an untyped `listen()` stays `never` and is typed from its name.
+// oxlint-disable-next-line no-unnecessary-type-parameters
+export function listen<E extends Event = never>(options?: EventOptions): EventDef<NoInfer<E>> {
+  return { options };
+}
+
+/**
+ * A `CustomEvent` whose `detail` is `T`; the same as `listen<CustomEvent<T>>()`:
+ *
+ * ```ts
+ * events: {
+ *   click: true,
+ *   scroll: { passive: true },
+ *   'wc:pick': custom<number>(),
+ * }
+ * ```
+ */
+// oxlint-disable-next-line no-unnecessary-type-parameters
+export function custom<T>(options?: EventOptions): EventDef<CustomEvent<T>> {
+  return listen<CustomEvent<T>>(options);
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Types pulled out of a spec
+
+/** The built-in type for an event name, or `Event` for a name `HTMLElementEventMap` doesn't know. */
+type NamedEvent<N extends string> = N extends keyof HTMLElementEventMap
+  ? HTMLElementEventMap[N]
+  : Event;
+
+/** The event one `events` entry delivers: its explicit type, else the one its name gives. */
+export type EventOf<N extends string, D> =
+  D extends EventDef<infer E> ? ([E] extends [never] ? NamedEvent<N> : E) : NamedEvent<N>;
+
+/** No events given: an empty map, so `HandledEvent` is `never`. Empty on purpose. */
+// oxlint-disable-next-line no-generated-empty-object-type
+type NoEvents = Record<never, never>;
+
+/** Event name → event type for a spec. */
+export type EventMapOf<S> = S extends {
+  readonly events: infer M extends Readonly<Record<string, EventEntry>>;
+}
+  ? { [K in keyof M & string]: EventOf<K, M[K]> }
+  : NoEvents;
+
+/**
+ * What `handleEvent` receives: a union of the listed events, each tagged with
+ * its literal `type` so `switch (event.type)` narrows to that event (`type` is
+ * plain `string` on every DOM event otherwise).
+ */
+export type HandledEvent<S> = {
+  [K in keyof EventMapOf<S>]: EventMapOf<S>[K] & { readonly type: K };
+}[keyof EventMapOf<S>];
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Runtime
+
+function isEventDef(entry: EventOptions | EventDef): entry is EventDef {
+  return 'options' in entry;
+}
+
+/** `events` as `[type, options]` pairs, for `addEventListener`. */
+export function resolveEvents(
+  events: Spec['events'],
+): [type: string, options: EventOptions | undefined][] {
+  return Object.entries(events ?? {}).map(([type, entry]) => {
+    if (entry === true) return [type, undefined];
+    return [type, isEventDef(entry) ? entry.options : entry];
+  });
+}
diff --git a/src/index.ts b/src/index.ts
index 9407f9f..dca9d23 100644
--- a/src/index.ts
+++ b/src/index.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,14 @@
 export { WebComponent } from './web-component.ts';
+export {
+  custom,
+  listen,
+  type EventDef,
+  type EventEntry,
+  type EventMapOf,
+  type EventOf,
+  type EventOptions,
+  type HandledEvent,
+} from './events.ts';
 export {
   attributeName,
   choice,
diff --git a/src/types.ts b/src/types.ts
index d124b49..c34de6c 100644
--- a/src/types.ts
+++ b/src/types.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import type { EventEntry, HandledEvent } from './events.ts';
 import type { AnyPropDef, Kebab } from './props.ts';
 
 /** A constructor {@link WebComponent} can extend: `HTMLElement` or any autonomous subclass of it. */
@@ -16,8 +17,11 @@ export interface Spec {
   readonly css?: string;
   /** Prefix every *derived* attribute name with `data-`. Explicit `attribute`s are used verbatim. */
   readonly dataPrefix?: boolean;
-  /** Host events routed to `handleEvent`, listened with the element's `signal`. */
-  readonly events?: readonly (keyof HTMLElementEventMap)[];
+  /**
+   * Host events routed to `handleEvent`, listened with the element's `signal`:
+   * name → `true`, listener options, {@link custom} for a typed `CustomEvent`, or {@link listen}.
+   */
+  readonly events?: Readonly<Record<string, EventEntry>>;
   /** `refs.<name>`: the first match in `root`, or `null`. See {@link RefSpec}. */
   readonly element?: Readonly<Record<string, RefSpec>>;
   /** `refs.<name>`: every match in `root`, as an array. See {@link RefSpec}. */
@@ -42,11 +46,7 @@ export type BaseOf<S> = S extends { readonly base: infer B extends ElementConstr
   ? B
   : typeof HTMLElement;
 export type DataPrefixOf<S> = S extends { readonly dataPrefix: true } ? true : false;
-export type EventsOf<S> = S extends {
-  readonly events: readonly (infer E extends keyof HTMLElementEventMap)[];
-}
-  ? E
-  : never;
+
 type ElementRefsOf<S> = S extends {
   readonly element: infer E extends Readonly<Record<string, RefSpec>>;
 }
@@ -183,10 +183,8 @@ export interface WebComponentMembers<S> {
   // Re-mapped inline (not `Refs<S>` directly) so editors show the resolved
   // `{ input: HTMLInputElement | null; ... }` rather than the alias.
   readonly refs: { readonly [K in keyof Refs<S>]: Refs<S>[K] };
-  /** Receives every event listed in `events`. */
-  handleEvent(
-    event: [EventsOf<S>] extends [never] ? Event : HTMLElementEventMap[EventsOf<S>],
-  ): void;
+  /** Receives every event listed in `events`; narrow it with `event.type`. */
+  handleEvent(event: [HandledEvent<S>] extends [never] ? Event : HandledEvent<S>): void;
   /** Called at the end of `connectedCallback`. */
   onConnect(): void;
   /** Called at the end of `disconnectedCallback`, after `signal` aborts. */
diff --git a/src/web-component.ts b/src/web-component.ts
index 4e4c592..51350e8 100644
--- a/src/web-component.ts
+++ b/src/web-component.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { resolveEvents } from './events.ts';
 import { attributeName, type AnyPropDef } from './props.ts';
 import type {
   ElementClass,
@@ -47,7 +48,7 @@ export function WebComponent<const S extends Spec>(
   const byAttribute = new Map(resolved.map((prop) => [prop.attribute, prop]));
   const element = resolveRefs(spec.element);
   const elements = resolveRefs(spec.elements);
-  const events = spec.events ?? [];
+  const events = resolveEvents(spec.events);
 
   // Parsed lazily, once per class, so defining the class needs no DOM work.
   let template: HTMLTemplateElement | undefined;
@@ -150,8 +151,8 @@ export function WebComponent<const S extends Spec>(
         this.#upgradeProperties();
       }
       if (!this.#root) this.#renderLightDom();
-      for (const type of events) {
-        this.addEventListener(type, this, { signal: this.signal });
+      for (const [type, options] of events) {
+        this.addEventListener(type, this, { ...options, signal: this.signal });
       }
       this.onConnect();
     }
diff --git a/test/types.test-d.ts b/test/types.test-d.ts
index 0356a70..98e3e75 100644
--- a/test/types.test-d.ts
+++ b/test/types.test-d.ts
@@ -2,12 +2,15 @@ import { describe, expectTypeOf, test } from 'vitest';
 import {
   WebComponent,
   choice,
+  custom,
   disable,
   enable,
   json,
+  listen,
   number,
   string,
   type AttributesOf,
+  type HandledEvent,
   type Kebab,
   type PropChange,
   type RefType,
@@ -15,7 +18,7 @@ import {
 
 const SPEC = {
   shadow: 'open',
-  events: ['click', 'keydown'],
+  events: { click: true, keydown: true },
   element: { input: 'input.name', go: 'form > button#go', thing: '.thing' },
   elements: { items: 'ul li' },
   props: {
@@ -124,10 +127,62 @@ describe('members', () => {
     expectTypeOf(new Light().root).toEqualTypeOf<ShadowRoot | HTMLElement>();
   });
 
-  test('handleEvent gets the union of listed events', () => {
+  test('handleEvent gets the union of listed events, tagged by type', () => {
     expectTypeOf<Parameters<Example['handleEvent']>[0]>().toEqualTypeOf<
-      HTMLElementEventMap['click' | 'keydown']
+      (PointerEvent & { readonly type: 'click' }) | (KeyboardEvent & { readonly type: 'keydown' })
     >();
+    const Plain = WebComponent({});
+    expectTypeOf<Parameters<InstanceType<typeof Plain>['handleEvent']>[0]>().toEqualTypeOf<Event>();
+  });
+
+  test('events are typed by name, by listen<E>(), or by custom<T>()', () => {
+    type FieldChange = { name: string; value: string };
+    const Base = WebComponent({
+      events: {
+        click: true,
+        scroll: { passive: true },
+        keydown: listen(),
+        'wc:field-change': custom<FieldChange>(),
+        'wc:key': listen<KeyboardEvent>({ capture: true }),
+        'wc:untyped': true,
+      },
+    });
+    type Handled = Parameters<InstanceType<typeof Base>['handleEvent']>[0];
+    expectTypeOf<Extract<Handled, { type: 'click' }>>().toEqualTypeOf<
+      PointerEvent & { readonly type: 'click' }
+    >();
+    expectTypeOf<Extract<Handled, { type: 'scroll' }>>().toEqualTypeOf<
+      Event & { readonly type: 'scroll' }
+    >();
+    expectTypeOf<Extract<Handled, { type: 'wc:field-change' }>>().toEqualTypeOf<
+      CustomEvent<FieldChange> & { readonly type: 'wc:field-change' }
+    >();
+    expectTypeOf<Extract<Handled, { type: 'keydown' }>>().toEqualTypeOf<
+      KeyboardEvent & { readonly type: 'keydown' }
+    >();
+    expectTypeOf<Extract<Handled, { type: 'wc:key' }>>().toEqualTypeOf<
+      KeyboardEvent & { readonly type: 'wc:key' }
+    >();
+    expectTypeOf<Extract<Handled, { type: 'wc:untyped' }>>().toEqualTypeOf<
+      Event & { readonly type: 'wc:untyped' }
+    >();
+  });
+
+  test('custom<T>() is listen<CustomEvent<T>>()', () => {
+    expectTypeOf(custom<number>()).toEqualTypeOf(listen<CustomEvent<number>>());
+  });
+
+  test('event.type narrows handleEvent', () => {
+    const PICK = {
+      events: { click: true, 'wc:pick': custom<number>() },
+    } as const;
+    class El extends WebComponent(PICK) {
+      override handleEvent(event: HandledEvent<typeof PICK>): void {
+        if (event.type === 'click') expectTypeOf(event.button).toEqualTypeOf<number>();
+        else expectTypeOf(event.detail).toEqualTypeOf<number>();
+      }
+    }
+    void El;
   });
 
   test('refs are typed from their selectors', () => {
diff --git a/test/web-component.test.ts b/test/web-component.test.ts
index 221a806..5bdd695 100644
--- a/test/web-component.test.ts
+++ b/test/web-component.test.ts
@@ -2,11 +2,14 @@ import { afterEach, describe, expect, test, vi } from 'vitest';
 import {
   WebComponent,
   choice,
+  custom,
   disable,
   enable,
   json,
+  listen,
   number,
   string,
+  type HandledEvent,
   type PropChange,
 } from '../src/index.ts';
 
@@ -218,7 +221,7 @@ describe('light DOM', () => {
 describe('signal and events', () => {
   test('events go to handleEvent until disconnect; reconnect re-listens', () => {
     const handle = vi.fn();
-    class El extends WebComponent({ events: ['click'] }) {
+    class El extends WebComponent({ events: { click: true } }) {
       override handleEvent(event: PointerEvent): void {
         handle(event.type);
       }
@@ -239,6 +242,34 @@ describe('signal and events', () => {
     expect(handle).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
   });
 
+  test('custom events and listener options', () => {
+    const SPEC = {
+      events: {
+        'wc:pick': custom<number>(),
+        'wc:once': { once: true },
+        'wc:key': listen<KeyboardEvent>({ once: true }),
+      },
+    } as const;
+    const seen: string[] = [];
+    class El extends WebComponent(SPEC) {
+      override handleEvent(event: HandledEvent<typeof SPEC>): void {
+        if (event.type === 'wc:pick') seen.push(`pick ${event.detail}`);
+        else if (event.type === 'wc:key') seen.push(`key ${event.key}`);
+        else seen.push(event.type);
+      }
+    }
+    const el = new (define(El))();
+    document.body.append(el);
+    el.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent('wc:pick', { detail: 3 }));
+    el.dispatchEvent(new Event('wc:once'));
+    el.dispatchEvent(new Event('wc:once'));
+    el.dispatchEvent(new KeyboardEvent('wc:key', { key: 'a' }));
+    el.dispatchEvent(new KeyboardEvent('wc:key', { key: 'b' }));
+    el.remove();
+    el.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent('wc:pick', { detail: 4 }));
+    expect(seen).toEqual(['pick 3', 'wc:once', 'key a']);
+  });
+
   test('onConnect / onDisconnect', () => {
     const calls: string[] = [];
     class El extends WebComponent({}) {