diff --git a/linux/linux.mk b/linux/linux.mk
index 6740d012ff..36f0230dde 100644
--- a/linux/linux.mk
+++ b/linux/linux.mk
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ KERNEL_DTBS = $(addsuffix .dtb,$(KERNEL_DTS_NAME))
 ifeq ($(BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_IMAGE_TARGET_CUSTOM),y)
 LINUX_IMAGE_NAME = $(call qstrip,$(BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_IMAGE_NAME))
 LINUX_TARGET_NAME = $(call qstrip,$(BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_IMAGE_TARGET_NAME))
+LINUX_IMAGE_NAME = $(LINUX_TARGET_NAME)
 else
 ifeq ($(BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_UIMAGE),y)
 LINUX_IMAGE_NAME = uImage
@@ -106,13 +107,12 @@ LINUX_IMAGE_NAME = vmlinux
 else ifeq ($(BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_VMLINUZ),y)
 LINUX_IMAGE_NAME = vmlinuz
 endif
+# The if-else blocks above are all the image types we know of, and all
+# come from a Kconfig choice, so we know we have LINUX_IMAGE_NAME set
+# to something
 LINUX_TARGET_NAME = $(LINUX_IMAGE_NAME)
 endif
 
-ifeq ($(LINUX_IMAGE_NAME),)
-LINUX_IMAGE_NAME = $(LINUX_TARGET_NAME)
-endif
-
 LINUX_KERNEL_UIMAGE_LOADADDR = $(call qstrip,$(BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_UIMAGE_LOADADDR))
 ifneq ($(LINUX_KERNEL_UIMAGE_LOADADDR),)
 LINUX_MAKE_FLAGS += LOADADDR="$(LINUX_KERNEL_UIMAGE_LOADADDR)"