diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-c2c.c b/tools/perf/builtin-c2c.c
index 620a467ee3043c5cadfedd02c87c0195bb681413..475999e48f6699dd3e61619351f656b23ba659b5 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-c2c.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-c2c.c
@@ -1725,10 +1725,10 @@ static int c2c_hists__init_sort(struct perf_hpp_list *hpp_list, char *name)
 				tok; tok = strtok_r(NULL, ", ", &tmp)) {	\
 			ret = _fn(hpp_list, tok);				\
 			if (ret == -EINVAL) {					\
-				error("Invalid --fields key: `%s'", tok);	\
+				pr_err("Invalid --fields key: `%s'", tok);	\
 				break;						\
 			} else if (ret == -ESRCH) {				\
-				error("Unknown --fields key: `%s'", tok);	\
+				pr_err("Unknown --fields key: `%s'", tok);	\
 				break;						\
 			}							\
 		}								\
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-help.c b/tools/perf/builtin-help.c
index 64a10101fc71e07fa69d093d8803a3be165233cf..530a7f2fa0f3e5326e9d7ea5886f97411046417f 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-help.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-help.c
@@ -245,8 +245,10 @@ static int add_man_viewer_info(const char *var, const char *value)
 	const char *name = var + 4;
 	const char *subkey = strrchr(name, '.');
 
-	if (!subkey)
-		return error("Config with no key for man viewer: %s", name);
+	if (!subkey) {
+		pr_err("Config with no key for man viewer: %s", name);
+		return -1;
+	}
 
 	if (!strcmp(subkey, ".path")) {
 		if (!value)
@@ -330,7 +332,7 @@ static void setup_man_path(void)
 		setenv("MANPATH", new_path, 1);
 		free(new_path);
 	} else {
-		error("Unable to setup man path");
+		pr_err("Unable to setup man path");
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-kmem.c b/tools/perf/builtin-kmem.c
index 9409c9464667023c60841e3fb4e7a2364bc23167..0a8a1c45af87dc32ddaec90a29dcad3d3ecaec14 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-kmem.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-kmem.c
@@ -1715,7 +1715,7 @@ static int setup_slab_sorting(struct list_head *sort_list, const char *arg)
 		if (!tok)
 			break;
 		if (slab_sort_dimension__add(tok, sort_list) < 0) {
-			error("Unknown slab --sort key: '%s'", tok);
+			pr_err("Unknown slab --sort key: '%s'", tok);
 			free(str);
 			return -1;
 		}
@@ -1741,7 +1741,7 @@ static int setup_page_sorting(struct list_head *sort_list, const char *arg)
 		if (!tok)
 			break;
 		if (page_sort_dimension__add(tok, sort_list) < 0) {
-			error("Unknown page --sort key: '%s'", tok);
+			pr_err("Unknown page --sort key: '%s'", tok);
 			free(str);
 			return -1;
 		}
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-record.c b/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
index ee7d0a82ccd073cb52a49cea6b15e14d827436ad..17a14bcce34accf2ce1cf9a466cee97cf8b72b36 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
@@ -453,7 +453,7 @@ static int record__open(struct record *rec)
 	}
 
 	if (perf_evlist__apply_filters(evlist, &pos)) {
-		error("failed to set filter \"%s\" on event %s with %d (%s)\n",
+		pr_err("failed to set filter \"%s\" on event %s with %d (%s)\n",
 			pos->filter, perf_evsel__name(pos), errno,
 			str_error_r(errno, msg, sizeof(msg)));
 		rc = -1;
@@ -461,7 +461,7 @@ static int record__open(struct record *rec)
 	}
 
 	if (perf_evlist__apply_drv_configs(evlist, &pos, &err_term)) {
-		error("failed to set config \"%s\" on event %s with %d (%s)\n",
+		pr_err("failed to set config \"%s\" on event %s with %d (%s)\n",
 		      err_term->val.drv_cfg, perf_evsel__name(pos), errno,
 		      str_error_r(errno, msg, sizeof(msg)));
 		rc = -1;
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-sched.c b/tools/perf/builtin-sched.c
index 39996c53995a2f57b982536a09b420020cd9e256..322b4def8411f8aa9d50e1fd9f015a09eeaee968 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-sched.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-sched.c
@@ -2066,7 +2066,7 @@ static void save_task_callchain(struct perf_sched *sched,
 	if (thread__resolve_callchain(thread, cursor, evsel, sample,
 				      NULL, NULL, sched->max_stack + 2) != 0) {
 		if (verbose > 0)
-			error("Failed to resolve callchain. Skipping\n");
+			pr_err("Failed to resolve callchain. Skipping\n");
 
 		return;
 	}
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c b/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c
index 324363054c3fe1b8380acba5899d75473626a189..48ac53b199fcb978be4b72f2c585d92cbc238421 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c
@@ -636,14 +636,14 @@ static int __run_perf_stat(int argc, const char **argv)
 	}
 
 	if (perf_evlist__apply_filters(evsel_list, &counter)) {
-		error("failed to set filter \"%s\" on event %s with %d (%s)\n",
+		pr_err("failed to set filter \"%s\" on event %s with %d (%s)\n",
 			counter->filter, perf_evsel__name(counter), errno,
 			str_error_r(errno, msg, sizeof(msg)));
 		return -1;
 	}
 
 	if (perf_evlist__apply_drv_configs(evsel_list, &counter, &err_term)) {
-		error("failed to set config \"%s\" on event %s with %d (%s)\n",
+		pr_err("failed to set config \"%s\" on event %s with %d (%s)\n",
 		      err_term->val.drv_cfg, perf_evsel__name(counter), errno,
 		      str_error_r(errno, msg, sizeof(msg)));
 		return -1;
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-top.c b/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
index 2bcfa46913c84a9e698d6b5fbc698daa61eaf7de..6052376634c058e735de5c398dd716b1317f48af 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
@@ -958,7 +958,7 @@ static int __cmd_top(struct perf_top *top)
 
 	ret = perf_evlist__apply_drv_configs(evlist, &pos, &err_term);
 	if (ret) {
-		error("failed to set config \"%s\" on event %s with %d (%s)\n",
+		pr_err("failed to set config \"%s\" on event %s with %d (%s)\n",
 			err_term->val.drv_cfg, perf_evsel__name(pos), errno,
 			str_error_r(errno, msg, sizeof(msg)));
 		goto out_delete;
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/config.c b/tools/perf/util/config.c
index 1498f38ea7ad561036f788d351b9ecacf018a770..586afeab2352fc8db39909c3ee522e5146a40635 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/config.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/config.c
@@ -793,7 +793,8 @@ void perf_config_set__delete(struct perf_config_set *set)
  */
 int config_error_nonbool(const char *var)
 {
-	return error("Missing value for '%s'", var);
+	pr_err("Missing value for '%s'", var);
+	return -1;
 }
 
 void set_buildid_dir(const char *dir)
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/sort.c b/tools/perf/util/sort.c
index 5762ae4e9e912e30dc158ee293c503373d80cc1f..8b327c955a4f274a214c6c3449248046507b78ce 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/sort.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/sort.c
@@ -2532,12 +2532,12 @@ static int setup_sort_list(struct perf_hpp_list *list, char *str,
 			ret = sort_dimension__add(list, tok, evlist, level);
 			if (ret == -EINVAL) {
 				if (!cacheline_size && !strncasecmp(tok, "dcacheline", strlen(tok)))
-					error("The \"dcacheline\" --sort key needs to know the cacheline size and it couldn't be determined on this system");
+					pr_err("The \"dcacheline\" --sort key needs to know the cacheline size and it couldn't be determined on this system");
 				else
-					error("Invalid --sort key: `%s'", tok);
+					pr_err("Invalid --sort key: `%s'", tok);
 				break;
 			} else if (ret == -ESRCH) {
-				error("Unknown --sort key: `%s'", tok);
+				pr_err("Unknown --sort key: `%s'", tok);
 				break;
 			}
 		}
@@ -2594,7 +2594,7 @@ static int setup_sort_order(struct perf_evlist *evlist)
 		return 0;
 
 	if (sort_order[1] == '\0') {
-		error("Invalid --sort key: `+'");
+		pr_err("Invalid --sort key: `+'");
 		return -EINVAL;
 	}
 
@@ -2604,7 +2604,7 @@ static int setup_sort_order(struct perf_evlist *evlist)
 	 */
 	if (asprintf(&new_sort_order, "%s,%s",
 		     get_default_sort_order(evlist), sort_order + 1) < 0) {
-		error("Not enough memory to set up --sort");
+		pr_err("Not enough memory to set up --sort");
 		return -ENOMEM;
 	}
 
@@ -2668,7 +2668,7 @@ static int __setup_sorting(struct perf_evlist *evlist)
 
 	str = strdup(sort_keys);
 	if (str == NULL) {
-		error("Not enough memory to setup sort keys");
+		pr_err("Not enough memory to setup sort keys");
 		return -ENOMEM;
 	}
 
@@ -2678,7 +2678,7 @@ static int __setup_sorting(struct perf_evlist *evlist)
 	if (!is_strict_order(field_order)) {
 		str = setup_overhead(str);
 		if (str == NULL) {
-			error("Not enough memory to setup overhead keys");
+			pr_err("Not enough memory to setup overhead keys");
 			return -ENOMEM;
 		}
 	}
@@ -2834,10 +2834,10 @@ static int setup_output_list(struct perf_hpp_list *list, char *str)
 			tok; tok = strtok_r(NULL, ", ", &tmp)) {
 		ret = output_field_add(list, tok);
 		if (ret == -EINVAL) {
-			error("Invalid --fields key: `%s'", tok);
+			pr_err("Invalid --fields key: `%s'", tok);
 			break;
 		} else if (ret == -ESRCH) {
-			error("Unknown --fields key: `%s'", tok);
+			pr_err("Unknown --fields key: `%s'", tok);
 			break;
 		}
 	}
@@ -2877,7 +2877,7 @@ static int __setup_output_field(void)
 
 	strp = str = strdup(field_order);
 	if (str == NULL) {
-		error("Not enough memory to setup output fields");
+		pr_err("Not enough memory to setup output fields");
 		return -ENOMEM;
 	}
 
@@ -2885,7 +2885,7 @@ static int __setup_output_field(void)
 		strp++;
 
 	if (!strlen(strp)) {
-		error("Invalid --fields key: `+'");
+		pr_err("Invalid --fields key: `+'");
 		goto out;
 	}
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/usage.c b/tools/perf/util/usage.c
index 37225dc727380a07d040d7193c6017a05ff2d103..bf185f28b19eafc2367b19598e81f89ba218d20b 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/usage.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/usage.c
@@ -28,15 +28,9 @@ static __noreturn void die_builtin(const char *err, va_list params)
 	exit(128);
 }
 
-static void error_builtin(const char *err, va_list params)
-{
-	report(" Error: ", err, params);
-}
-
 /* If we are in a dlopen()ed .so write to a global variable would segfault
  * (ugh), so keep things static. */
 static void (*usage_routine)(const char *err) __noreturn = usage_builtin;
-static void (*error_routine)(const char *err, va_list params) = error_builtin;
 
 void usage(const char *err)
 {
@@ -51,13 +45,3 @@ void die(const char *err, ...)
 	die_builtin(err, params);
 	va_end(params);
 }
-
-int error(const char *err, ...)
-{
-	va_list params;
-
-	va_start(params, err);
-	error_routine(err, params);
-	va_end(params);
-	return -1;
-}
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/util.h b/tools/perf/util/util.h
index 3927ab8df5ac94ba7fe9fe8c040a1153b83b5bce..2c9e58a45310446eeb5b1af2859b8ef70e2d8089 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/util.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/util.h
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@
 /* General helper functions */
 void usage(const char *err) __noreturn;
 void die(const char *err, ...) __noreturn __printf(1, 2);
-int error(const char *err, ...) __printf(1, 2);
 
 static inline void *zalloc(size_t size)
 {