diff --git a/llvm/lib/Target/WebAssembly/WebAssemblyISelLowering.cpp b/llvm/lib/Target/WebAssembly/WebAssemblyISelLowering.cpp
--- a/llvm/lib/Target/WebAssembly/WebAssemblyISelLowering.cpp
+++ b/llvm/lib/Target/WebAssembly/WebAssemblyISelLowering.cpp
@@ -1581,6 +1581,11 @@
     return DAG.getNode(WebAssemblyISD::LOCAL_SET, DL, Tys, Ops);
   }
 
+  if (WebAssembly::isWasmVarAddressSpace(SN->getAddressSpace()))
+    report_fatal_error(
+        "Encountered an unlowerable store to the wasm_var address space",
+        false);
+
   return Op;
 }
 
@@ -1636,6 +1641,11 @@
     return Result;
   }
 
+  if (WebAssembly::isWasmVarAddressSpace(LN->getAddressSpace()))
+    report_fatal_error(
+        "Encountered an unlowerable load from the wasm_var address space",
+        false);
+
   return Op;
 }
 
diff --git a/llvm/test/CodeGen/WebAssembly/global-get-unlowerable.ll b/llvm/test/CodeGen/WebAssembly/global-get-unlowerable.ll
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/llvm/test/CodeGen/WebAssembly/global-get-unlowerable.ll
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+; RUN: not llc < %s --mtriple=wasm32 2>&1 | FileCheck %s
+
+; Demonstrates a code pattern that could be encountered even with frontend
+; restrictions on creating new pointers to globals. In the absence of a better
+; fix, the backend should produce a comprehensible message for why it can't
+; continue.
+
+; CHECK: LVM ERROR: Encountered an unlowerable load from the wasm_var address space
+
+@g1 = external addrspace(1) global i32
+@g2 = external addrspace(1) global i32
+
+define i32 @global_get_phi(i1 zeroext %bool) {
+  %sel = select i1 %bool, ptr addrspace(1) @g1, ptr addrspace(1) @g2
+  %gval = load i32, ptr addrspace(1) %sel
+  ret i32 %gval
+}
diff --git a/llvm/test/CodeGen/WebAssembly/global-set-unlowerable.ll b/llvm/test/CodeGen/WebAssembly/global-set-unlowerable.ll
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/llvm/test/CodeGen/WebAssembly/global-set-unlowerable.ll
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+; RUN: not llc < %s --mtriple=wasm32 2>&1 | FileCheck %s
+
+; Demonstrates a code pattern that could be encountered even with frontend
+; restrictions on creating new pointers to globals. In the absence of a better
+; fix, the backend should produce a comprehensible message for why it can't
+; continue.
+
+; CHECK: LVM ERROR: Encountered an unlowerable store to the wasm_var address space
+
+@g1 = external addrspace(1) global i32
+@g2 = external addrspace(1) global i32
+
+define void @global_set_phi(i1 zeroext %bool) {
+  %sel = select i1 %bool, ptr addrspace(1) @g1, ptr addrspace(1) @g2
+  store i32 100, ptr addrspace(1) %sel
+  ret void
+}