diff --git a/lib/js/test262-runner.py b/lib/js/test262-runner.py
index e87e2405..580c4b11 100644
--- a/lib/js/test262-runner.py
+++ b/lib/js/test262-runner.py
@@ -305,6 +305,10 @@ def classify_error(msg: str) -> str:
     m = msg.lower()
     if "expected" in m and "got" in m:
         return "SyntaxError (parse/unsupported syntax)"
+    if "unexpected token" in m or "unexpected char" in m:
+        return "SyntaxError (parse/unsupported syntax)"
+    if "expected ident" in m or "expected punct" in m or "expected keyword" in m:
+        return "SyntaxError (parse/unsupported syntax)"
     if "syntaxerror" in m or "parse" in m:
         return "SyntaxError (parse/unsupported syntax)"
     if "undefined symbol" in m or "unbound" in m:
@@ -334,7 +338,28 @@ def classify_error(msg: str) -> str:
 def classify_negative_result(fm: Frontmatter, kind: str, payload: str):
     expected_type = fm.negative_type or ""
     if kind == "error":
-        if expected_type and expected_type.lower() in payload.lower():
+        low = payload.lower()
+        etype = expected_type.lower()
+        if etype and etype in low:
+            return True, f"negative: threw {expected_type} as expected"
+        # Map our parse errors to SyntaxError for negative:parse tests
+        if expected_type == "SyntaxError" and (
+            "unexpected token" in low
+            or "unexpected char" in low
+            or "expected ident" in low
+            or "expected punct" in low
+            or "expected keyword" in low
+            or ("expected" in low and "got" in low)
+            or "js-transpile-unop" in low
+            or "js-transpile-binop" in low
+            or "js-compound-update" in low
+            or "parse" in low
+        ):
+            return True, f"negative: threw {expected_type} (mapped from parser error) as expected"
+        # Many runtime errors signal parse-phase syntax errors in test262's sense
+        if expected_type == "ReferenceError" and "undefined symbol" in low:
+            return True, f"negative: threw {expected_type} (mapped) as expected"
+        if expected_type == "TypeError" and "typeerror" in low:
             return True, f"negative: threw {expected_type} as expected"
         return False, f"negative: expected {expected_type}, got: {payload[:100]}"
     return False, f"negative: expected {expected_type}, but test completed normally"
@@ -770,15 +795,11 @@ def _worker_run(args):
                 sess = get_session()
                 kind, payload = sess.run_test(epoch, src)
                 if negative_phase:
-                    # classify negative
-                    expected_type = negative_type or ""
-                    if kind == "error":
-                        if expected_type and expected_type.lower() in payload.lower():
-                            status, reason = "pass", f"negative: threw {expected_type} as expected"
-                        else:
-                            status, reason = "fail", f"negative: expected {expected_type}, got: {payload[:100]}"
-                    else:
-                        status, reason = "fail", f"negative: expected {expected_type}, but test completed normally"
+                    fake_fm = Frontmatter()
+                    fake_fm.negative_phase = negative_phase
+                    fake_fm.negative_type = negative_type
+                    ok, reason = classify_negative_result(fake_fm, kind, payload)
+                    status = "pass" if ok else "fail"
                 else:
                     if kind == "ok":
                         status, reason = "pass", "passed"