diff --git a/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c b/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c
index 10107747b361..5795f3a8f71c 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c
@@ -2190,6 +2190,29 @@ int parse_events_option(const struct option *opt, const char *str,
 	return ret;
 }
 
+int parse_events_option_new_evlist(const struct option *opt, const char *str, int unset)
+{
+	struct evlist **evlistp = opt->value;
+	int ret;
+
+	if (*evlistp == NULL) {
+		*evlistp = evlist__new();
+
+		if (*evlistp == NULL) {
+			fprintf(stderr, "Not enough memory to create evlist\n");
+			return -1;
+		}
+	}
+
+	ret = parse_events_option(opt, str, unset);
+	if (ret) {
+		evlist__delete(*evlistp);
+		*evlistp = NULL;
+	}
+
+	return ret;
+}
+
 static int
 foreach_evsel_in_last_glob(struct evlist *evlist,
 			   int (*func)(struct evsel *evsel,
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/parse-events.h b/tools/perf/util/parse-events.h
index 27596cbd0ba0..6ead9661238c 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/parse-events.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/parse-events.h
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ bool have_tracepoints(struct list_head *evlist);
 const char *event_type(int type);
 
 int parse_events_option(const struct option *opt, const char *str, int unset);
+int parse_events_option_new_evlist(const struct option *opt, const char *str, int unset);
 int parse_events(struct evlist *evlist, const char *str,
 		 struct parse_events_error *error);
 int parse_events_terms(struct list_head *terms, const char *str);