diff --git a/include/wabt/type.h b/include/wabt/type.h
index 8ef73112d..10692b67f 100644
--- a/include/wabt/type.h
+++ b/include/wabt/type.h
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ class Type {
     I32U = 7,  // Not actually specified, but used internally with load/store
   };
 
-  // Used by FuncRef / ExternRef
+  // Used by FuncRef / ExternRef / ExnRef
   enum GenericReferenceType : uint32_t {
     ReferenceOrNull = 0,
     ReferenceNonNull = 1,
@@ -105,14 +105,18 @@ class Type {
   }
 
   bool IsNullableRef() const {
-    return enum_ == Type::Reference || enum_ == Type::ExnRef ||
+    return enum_ == Type::Reference ||
            enum_ == Type::RefNull ||
-           ((enum_ == Type::ExternRef || enum_ == Type::FuncRef) && type_index_ == ReferenceOrNull);
+           ((enum_ == Type::ExternRef || enum_ == Type::FuncRef ||
+             enum_ == Type::ExnRef) &&
+            type_index_ == ReferenceOrNull);
   }
 
   bool IsNonNullableRef() const {
     return enum_ == Type::Ref ||
-           ((enum_ == Type::ExternRef || enum_ == Type::FuncRef) && type_index_ != ReferenceOrNull);
+           ((enum_ == Type::ExternRef || enum_ == Type::FuncRef ||
+             enum_ == Type::ExnRef) &&
+            type_index_ != ReferenceOrNull);
   }
 
   bool IsReferenceWithIndex() const { return EnumIsReferenceWithIndex(enum_); }
@@ -135,7 +139,8 @@ class Type {
       case Type::V128:      return "v128";
       case Type::I8:        return "i8";
       case Type::I16:       return "i16";
-      case Type::ExnRef:    return "exnref";
+      case Type::ExnRef:
+        return type_index_ == ReferenceOrNull ? "exnref" : "(ref exn)";
       case Type::Func:      return "func";
       case Type::Void:      return "void";
       case Type::Any:       return "any";
@@ -218,7 +223,8 @@ class Type {
   }
 
   static bool EnumIsNonTypedRef(Enum value) {
-    return value == Type::ExternRef || value == Type::FuncRef;
+    return value == Type::ExternRef || value == Type::FuncRef ||
+           value == Type::ExnRef;
   }
 
  private:
diff --git a/src/binary-reader.cc b/src/binary-reader.cc
index d40010715..b241f1380 100644
--- a/src/binary-reader.cc
+++ b/src/binary-reader.cc
@@ -377,9 +377,12 @@ Result BinaryReader::ReadType(Type* out_value, const char* desc) {
     if (static_cast<int64_t>(heap_type) < 0 ||
         static_cast<int64_t>(heap_type) >= kInvalidIndex) {
       Type::Enum heap_type_code = static_cast<Type::Enum>(heap_type);
-      ERROR_UNLESS(
-          heap_type_code == Type::FuncRef || heap_type_code == Type::ExternRef,
-          "Reference type is limited to func and extern: %s", desc);
+      ERROR_UNLESS(heap_type_code == Type::FuncRef ||
+                       heap_type_code == Type::ExternRef ||
+                       (heap_type_code == Type::ExnRef &&
+                        options_.features.exceptions_enabled()),
+                   "Reference type is limited to func, extern, and exn: %s",
+                   desc);
       type = (static_cast<Type::Enum>(type) == Type::Ref)
                  ? Type::ReferenceNonNull
                  : Type::ReferenceOrNull;
diff --git a/src/type-checker.cc b/src/type-checker.cc
index ada0ab038..42cc1f2f3 100644
--- a/src/type-checker.cc
+++ b/src/type-checker.cc
@@ -277,6 +277,7 @@ Result TypeChecker::CheckType(Type actual, Type expected) {
     switch (actual_type) {
       case Type::ExternRef:
       case Type::FuncRef:
+      case Type::ExnRef:
         return (expected.IsNullableNonTypedRef() ||
                 !actual.IsNullableNonTypedRef())
                    ? Result::Ok
@@ -617,7 +618,8 @@ Result TypeChecker::OnBrIf(Index depth) {
 }
 
 static Type convertRefNullToRef(Type type) {
-  if (type == Type::ExternRef || type == Type::FuncRef) {
+  if (type == Type::ExternRef || type == Type::FuncRef ||
+      type == Type::ExnRef) {
     return Type(type, Type::ReferenceNonNull);
   }
 
diff --git a/src/validator.cc b/src/validator.cc
index 295f1c28d..185e035b7 100644
--- a/src/validator.cc
+++ b/src/validator.cc
@@ -207,6 +207,7 @@ static Result CheckType(Type actual, Type expected) {
     switch (actual_type) {
       case Type::ExternRef:
       case Type::FuncRef:
+      case Type::ExnRef:
         return (expected.IsNullableNonTypedRef() ||
                 !actual.IsNullableNonTypedRef())
                    ? Result::Ok
diff --git a/src/wast-parser.cc b/src/wast-parser.cc
index 4fcfd4dbd..bddda9357 100644
--- a/src/wast-parser.cc
+++ b/src/wast-parser.cc
@@ -945,22 +945,43 @@ Result WastParser::ParseRefDeclaration(Var* out_type) {
   EXPECT(Lpar);
   EXPECT(Ref);
 
-  Type::Enum opt_type = Type::Reference;
+  bool saw_null = false;
+  if (options_->features.function_references_enabled() ||
+      options_->features.exceptions_enabled()) {
+    saw_null = Match(TokenType::Null);
+  }
 
+  Type::Enum opt_type = Type::Reference;
   if (options_->features.function_references_enabled()) {
-    opt_type = Type::Ref;
+    opt_type = saw_null ? Type::RefNull : Type::Ref;
+  } else if (saw_null) {
+    opt_type = Type::RefNull;
+  }
 
-    if (Match(TokenType::Null)) {
-      opt_type = Type::RefNull;
+  if (PeekMatch(TokenType::Func) || PeekMatch(TokenType::Extern) ||
+      PeekMatch(TokenType::Exn)) {
+    Token token = Consume();
+    TokenType token_type = token.token_type();
+    Type::Enum ref_enum = Type::FuncRef;
+    if (token_type == TokenType::Extern) {
+      ref_enum = Type::ExternRef;
+    } else if (token_type == TokenType::Exn) {
+      ref_enum = Type::ExnRef;
+    }
+
+    if (ref_enum == Type::ExnRef && !options_->features.exceptions_enabled()) {
+      Error(token.loc, "value type not allowed: %s",
+            Type(ref_enum).GetName().c_str());
+      return Result::Error;
     }
-  }
 
-  if (PeekMatch(TokenType::Func) || PeekMatch(TokenType::Extern)) {
-    TokenType token = Consume().token_type();
-    out_type->set_opt_type(token == TokenType::Func ? Type::FuncRef
-                                                    : Type::ExternRef);
-    out_type->set_index(opt_type == Type::Ref ? Type::ReferenceNonNull
-                                              : Type::ReferenceOrNull);
+    out_type->set_opt_type(ref_enum);
+    // (ref exn) is non-null even without function-references; (ref func) /
+    // (ref extern) only become non-null when that proposal is enabled.
+    bool non_null =
+        (ref_enum == Type::ExnRef) ? !saw_null : (opt_type == Type::Ref);
+    out_type->set_index(non_null ? Type::ReferenceNonNull
+                                 : Type::ReferenceOrNull);
   } else {
     CHECK_RESULT(ParseVar(out_type));
     out_type->set_opt_type(opt_type);
diff --git a/test/parse/expr/bad-exn-ref-nullable.txt b/test/parse/expr/bad-exn-ref-nullable.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ee6f95676
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parse/expr/bad-exn-ref-nullable.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+;;; TOOL: wat2wasm
+;;; ARGS: --enable-exceptions
+;;; ERROR: 1
+(module
+  (func (param exnref) (result (ref exn))
+    (local.get 0)))
+(;; STDERR ;;;
+out/test/parse/expr/bad-exn-ref-nullable.txt:6:6: error: type mismatch in implicit return, expected [(ref exn)] but got [exnref]
+    (local.get 0)))
+     ^^^^^^^^^
+;;; STDERR ;;)
diff --git a/test/parse/expr/exn-ref-as-non-null.txt b/test/parse/expr/exn-ref-as-non-null.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..68c444c3b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parse/expr/exn-ref-as-non-null.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+;;; TOOL: wat2wasm
+;;; ARGS: --enable-exceptions --enable-function-references
+(module
+  (func (result (ref exn))
+    (ref.as_non_null (ref.null exn)))
+)
diff --git a/test/parse/expr/exn-ref.txt b/test/parse/expr/exn-ref.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ea75d82dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parse/expr/exn-ref.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+;;; TOOL: wat2wasm
+;;; ARGS: --enable-exceptions
+(module
+  (func (param (ref exn))
+    (throw_ref (local.get 0)))
+  (func (param (ref null exn))
+    (throw_ref (local.get 0)))
+  (func (param exnref)
+    (throw_ref (local.get 0)))
+  (func (result (ref exn))
+    (unreachable))
+)
diff --git a/test/roundtrip/exn-ref.txt b/test/roundtrip/exn-ref.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2d97b2dbd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/roundtrip/exn-ref.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+;;; TOOL: run-roundtrip
+;;; ARGS: --stdout --enable-exceptions
+(module
+  (func $nonnull (param (ref exn))
+    (throw_ref (local.get 0)))
+  (func $nullable (param (ref null exn))
+    (throw_ref (local.get 0)))
+  (func $abbrev (param exnref)
+    (throw_ref (local.get 0)))
+)
+(;; STDOUT ;;;
+(module
+  (type (;0;) (func (param (ref exn))))
+  (type (;1;) (func (param exnref)))
+  (func (;0;) (type 0) (param (ref exn))
+    local.get 0
+    throw_ref)
+  (func (;1;) (type 1) (param exnref)
+    local.get 0
+    throw_ref)
+  (func (;2;) (type 1) (param exnref)
+    local.get 0
+    throw_ref))
+;;; STDOUT ;;)