diff --git a/package/weston/Config.in b/package/weston/Config.in
index 696b85b54d..230417ac2c 100644
--- a/package/weston/Config.in
+++ b/package/weston/Config.in
@@ -20,8 +20,6 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_WESTON
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_LIBDRM
 	# Runtime dependency
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_XKEYBOARD_CONFIG
-	# Make sure at least one compositor is selected.
-	select BR2_PACKAGE_WESTON_FBDEV if !BR2_PACKAGE_WESTON_HAS_COMPOSITOR
 	help
 	  Weston is the reference implementation of a Wayland
 	  compositor, and a useful compositor in its own right.
@@ -32,14 +30,40 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_WESTON
 
 if BR2_PACKAGE_WESTON
 
-# Helper to make sure at least one compositor is selected.
-config BR2_PACKAGE_WESTON_HAS_COMPOSITOR
-	bool
+choice
+	prompt "default compositor"
+
+config BR2_PACKAGE_WESTON_DEFAULT_FBDEV
+	bool "fbdev"
+	select BR2_PACKAGE_WESTON_FBDEV
+
+config BR2_PACKAGE_WESTON_DEFAULT_DRM
+	bool "drm"
+	depends on BR2_PACKAGE_MESA3D_OPENGL_EGL
+	select BR2_PACKAGE_WESTON_DRM
+
+comment "drm backend needs mesa3d w/ EGL driver"
+	depends on !BR2_PACKAGE_MESA3D_OPENGL_EGL
+
+config BR2_PACKAGE_WESTON_DEFAULT_X11
+	bool "X11"
+	depends on BR2_PACKAGE_XORG7
+	select BR2_PACKAGE_WESTON_X11
+
+comment "X11 backend needs X.org"
+	depends on !BR2_PACKAGE_XORG7
+
+endchoice
+
+config BR2_PACKAGE_WESTON_DEFAULT_COMPOSITOR
+	string
+	default "fbdev" if BR2_PACKAGE_WESTON_DEFAULT_FBDEV
+	default "drm"   if BR2_PACKAGE_WESTON_DEFAULT_DRM
+	default "x11"   if BR2_PACKAGE_WESTON_DEFAULT_X11
 
 config BR2_PACKAGE_WESTON_DRM
 	bool "DRM compositor"
 	depends on BR2_PACKAGE_MESA3D_OPENGL_EGL
-	select BR2_PACKAGE_WESTON_HAS_COMPOSITOR
 
 # Uses libgbm from mesa3d
 comment "DRM compositor needs an OpenGL EGL backend provided by mesa3d"
@@ -56,7 +80,6 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_WESTON_RDP
 	depends on BR2_USE_WCHAR # freerdp
 	depends on BR2_INSTALL_LIBSTDCPP # freerdp
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_FREERDP
-	select BR2_PACKAGE_WESTON_HAS_COMPOSITOR
 	help
 	  This enables the RDP backend, which allows accessing weston
 	  through the network with any RDP-compliant client.
@@ -80,7 +103,6 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_WESTON_X11
 	depends on BR2_PACKAGE_XORG7
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_LIBXCB
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_XLIB_LIBX11
-	select BR2_PACKAGE_WESTON_HAS_COMPOSITOR
 
 comment "X11 compositor needs X.org enabled"
 	depends on !BR2_PACKAGE_XORG7
diff --git a/package/weston/weston.mk b/package/weston/weston.mk
index 154ae38b83..746befd2b3 100644
--- a/package/weston/weston.mk
+++ b/package/weston/weston.mk
@@ -69,30 +69,27 @@ WESTON_CONF_OPTS += --disable-rdp-compositor
 endif
 
 ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_WESTON_FBDEV),y)
-WESTON_CONF_OPTS += \
-	--enable-fbdev-compositor \
-	WESTON_NATIVE_BACKEND=fbdev-backend.so
+WESTON_CONF_OPTS += --enable-fbdev-compositor
 else
 WESTON_CONF_OPTS += --disable-fbdev-compositor
 endif
 
 ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_WESTON_DRM),y)
-WESTON_CONF_OPTS += \
-	--enable-drm-compositor \
-	WESTON_NATIVE_BACKEND=drm-backend.so
+WESTON_CONF_OPTS += --enable-drm-compositor
 else
 WESTON_CONF_OPTS += --disable-drm-compositor
 endif
 
 ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_WESTON_X11),y)
-WESTON_CONF_OPTS += \
-	--enable-x11-compositor \
-	WESTON_NATIVE_BACKEND=x11-backend.so
+WESTON_CONF_OPTS += --enable-x11-compositor
 WESTON_DEPENDENCIES += libxcb xlib_libX11
 else
 WESTON_CONF_OPTS += --disable-x11-compositor
 endif
 
+# We're guaranteed to have at least one backend
+WESTON_CONF_OPTS += WESTON_NATIVE_BACKEND=$(call qstrip,$(BR2_PACKAGE_WESTON_DEFAULT_COMPOSITOR))
+
 ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_WESTON_XWAYLAND),y)
 WESTON_CONF_OPTS += --enable-xwayland
 WESTON_DEPENDENCIES += cairo libepoxy libxcb xlib_libX11 xlib_libXcursor