diff --git a/doc/api/module.md b/doc/api/module.md
index e50b3c8b44be21..bf0171fad54b31 100644
--- a/doc/api/module.md
+++ b/doc/api/module.md
@@ -81,13 +81,17 @@ added: v23.2.0
 * `base` {string|URL} The absolute location (`file:` URL string or FS path) of the
   containing  module. For CJS, use `__filename` (not `__dirname`!); for ESM, use
   `import.meta.url`. You do not need to pass it if `specifier` is an `absolute specifier`.
-* Returns: {string|undefined} A path if the `package.json` is found. When `startLocation`
+* Returns: {string|undefined} A path if the `package.json` is found. When `specifier`
   is a package, the package's root `package.json`; when a relative or unresolved, the closest
-  `package.json` to the `startLocation`.
+  `package.json` to the `specifier`.
 
-> **Caveat**: Do not use this to try to determine module format. There are many things effecting
+> **Caveat**: Do not use this to try to determine module format. There are many things affecting
 > that determination; the `type` field of package.json is the _least_ definitive (ex file extension
-> superceeds it, and a loader hook superceeds that).
+> supersedes it, and a loader hook supersedes that).
+
+> **Caveat**: This currently leverages only the built-in default resolver; if
+> [`resolve` customization hooks][resolve hook] are registered, they will not affect the resolution.
+> This may change in the future.
 
 ```text
 /path/to/project
diff --git a/lib/internal/modules/package_json_reader.js b/lib/internal/modules/package_json_reader.js
index ab9842ee53a7c8..6e1da13fdc479f 100644
--- a/lib/internal/modules/package_json_reader.js
+++ b/lib/internal/modules/package_json_reader.js
@@ -267,8 +267,8 @@ function getPackageJSONURL(specifier, base) {
   throw new ERR_MODULE_NOT_FOUND(packageName, fileURLToPath(base), null);
 }
 
-const pjsonImportAttributes = { __proto__: null, type: 'json' };
-let cascadedLoader;
+/** @type {import('./esm/resolve.js').defaultResolve} */
+let defaultResolve;
 /**
  * @param {URL['href'] | string | URL} specifier The location for which to get the "root" package.json
  * @param {URL['href'] | string | URL} [base] The location of the current module (ex file://tmp/foo.js).
@@ -296,10 +296,15 @@ function findPackageJSON(specifier, base = 'data:') {
   }
 
   let resolvedTarget;
-  cascadedLoader ??= require('internal/modules/esm/loader').getOrInitializeCascadedLoader();
+  defaultResolve ??= require('internal/modules/esm/resolve').defaultResolve;
 
   try {
-    resolvedTarget = cascadedLoader.resolve(specifier, `${parentURL}`, pjsonImportAttributes).url;
+    // TODO(@JakobJingleheimer): Detect whether findPackageJSON is being used within a loader
+    // (possibly piggyback on `allowImportMetaResolve`)
+    // - When inside, use the default resolve
+    //   - (I think it's impossible to use the chain because of re-entry & a deadlock from atomics).
+    // - When outside, use cascadedLoader.resolveSync (not implemented yet, but the pieces exist).
+    resolvedTarget = defaultResolve(specifier, { parentURL: `${parentURL}` }).url;
   } catch (err) {
     if (err.code === 'ERR_UNSUPPORTED_DIR_IMPORT') {
       resolvedTarget = err.url;
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-find-package-json.js b/test/parallel/test-find-package-json.js
index cc74b46c031aa1..5e55e81da1e7b8 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-find-package-json.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-find-package-json.js
@@ -149,4 +149,44 @@ describe('findPackageJSON', () => { // Throws when no arguments are provided
       });
     }));
   });
+
+  it('should work within a loader', async () => {
+    const specifierBase = './packages/root-types-field';
+    const target = fixtures.fileURL(specifierBase, 'index.js');
+    const foundPjsonPath = path.toNamespacedPath(fixtures.path(specifierBase, 'package.json'));
+    const { code, stderr, stdout } = await common.spawnPromisified(process.execPath, [
+      '--no-warnings',
+      '--loader',
+      [
+        'data:text/javascript,',
+        'import fs from "node:fs";',
+        'import module from "node:module";',
+        encodeURIComponent(`fs.writeSync(1, module.findPackageJSON(${JSON.stringify(target)}));`),
+        'export const resolve = async (s, c, n) => n(s);',
+      ].join(''),
+      '--eval',
+      'import "node:os";', // Can be anything that triggers the resolve hook chain
+    ]);
+
+    assert.strictEqual(stderr, '');
+    assert.ok(stdout.includes(foundPjsonPath), stdout);
+    assert.strictEqual(code, 0);
+  });
+
+  it('should work with an async resolve hook registered', async () => {
+    const specifierBase = './packages/root-types-field';
+    const target = fixtures.fileURL(specifierBase, 'index.js');
+    const foundPjsonPath = path.toNamespacedPath(fixtures.path(specifierBase, 'package.json'));
+    const { code, stderr, stdout } = await common.spawnPromisified(process.execPath, [
+      '--no-warnings',
+      '--loader',
+      'data:text/javascript,export const resolve = async (s, c, n) => n(s);',
+      '--print',
+      `require("node:module").findPackageJSON(${JSON.stringify(target)})`,
+    ]);
+
+    assert.strictEqual(stderr, '');
+    assert.ok(stdout.includes(foundPjsonPath), stdout);
+    assert.strictEqual(code, 0);
+  });
 });