diff --git a/lib/std/heap/general_purpose_allocator.zig b/lib/std/heap/general_purpose_allocator.zig
index 32de2fad63..cd230e48d9 100644
--- a/lib/std/heap/general_purpose_allocator.zig
+++ b/lib/std/heap/general_purpose_allocator.zig
@@ -157,6 +157,9 @@ pub const Config = struct {
 
     /// Enables emitting info messages with the size and address of every allocation.
     verbose_log: bool = false,
+
+    /// Tell whether the backing allocator returns already-zeroed memory.
+    backing_allocator_zeroes: bool = true,
 };
 
 pub const Check = enum { ok, leak };
@@ -179,7 +182,8 @@ pub fn GeneralPurposeAllocator(comptime config: Config) type {
 
         const Self = @This();
 
-        /// The initial state of a `GeneralPurposeAllocator`, containing no allocations and backed by the system page allocator.
+        /// The initial state of a `GeneralPurposeAllocator`, containing no
+        /// allocations and backed by the system page allocator.
         pub const init: Self = .{
             .backing_allocator = std.heap.page_allocator,
             .buckets = [1]Buckets{.{}} ** small_bucket_count,
@@ -508,7 +512,7 @@ pub fn GeneralPurposeAllocator(comptime config: Config) type {
         fn collectStackTrace(first_trace_addr: usize, addresses: *[stack_n]usize) void {
             if (stack_n == 0) return;
             @memset(addresses, 0);
-            var stack_trace = StackTrace{
+            var stack_trace: StackTrace = .{
                 .instruction_addresses = addresses,
                 .index = 0,
             };
@@ -1092,22 +1096,29 @@ pub fn GeneralPurposeAllocator(comptime config: Config) type {
         }
 
         fn createBucket(self: *Self, size_class: usize) Error!*BucketHeader {
-            const page = try self.backing_allocator.alignedAlloc(u8, page_size, page_size);
-            errdefer self.backing_allocator.free(page);
+            const alignment: mem.Alignment = .fromByteUnits(page_size);
+            const page = self.backing_allocator.rawAlloc(page_size, alignment, @returnAddress()) orelse
+                return error.OutOfMemory;
+            errdefer self.backing_allocator.rawFree(page[0..page_size], alignment, @returnAddress());
 
             const bucket_size = bucketSize(size_class);
-            const bucket_bytes = try self.backing_allocator.alignedAlloc(u8, @alignOf(BucketHeader), bucket_size);
-            const ptr: *BucketHeader = @ptrCast(bucket_bytes.ptr);
+            const header_align: mem.Alignment = .fromByteUnits(@alignOf(BucketHeader));
+            const ptr: *BucketHeader = @alignCast(@ptrCast(self.backing_allocator.rawAlloc(
+                bucket_size,
+                header_align,
+                @returnAddress(),
+            ) orelse return error.OutOfMemory));
             ptr.* = .{
-                .page = page.ptr,
+                .page = @alignCast(page),
                 .alloc_cursor = 0,
                 .used_count = 0,
             };
-            // Set the used bits to all zeroes
-            @memset(@as([*]u8, @as(*[1]u8, ptr.usedBits(0)))[0..usedBitsCount(size_class)], 0);
-            if (config.safety) {
-                // Set the requested sizes to zeroes
-                @memset(mem.sliceAsBytes(ptr.requestedSizes(size_class)), 0);
+            if (!config.backing_allocator_zeroes) {
+                @memset(@as([*]u8, @as(*[1]u8, ptr.usedBits(0)))[0..usedBitsCount(size_class)], 0);
+                if (config.safety) {
+                    // Set the requested sizes to zeroes
+                    @memset(mem.sliceAsBytes(ptr.requestedSizes(size_class)), 0);
+                }
             }
             return ptr;
         }
diff --git a/lib/std/mem/Allocator.zig b/lib/std/mem/Allocator.zig
index 7c0e59906c..1a0108f3be 100644
--- a/lib/std/mem/Allocator.zig
+++ b/lib/std/mem/Allocator.zig
@@ -128,25 +128,25 @@ pub fn noFree(
 }
 
 /// This function is not intended to be called except from within the
-/// implementation of an Allocator
+/// implementation of an `Allocator`.
 pub inline fn rawAlloc(a: Allocator, len: usize, alignment: Alignment, ret_addr: usize) ?[*]u8 {
     return a.vtable.alloc(a.ptr, len, alignment, ret_addr);
 }
 
 /// This function is not intended to be called except from within the
-/// implementation of an Allocator.
+/// implementation of an `Allocator`.
 pub inline fn rawResize(a: Allocator, memory: []u8, alignment: Alignment, new_len: usize, ret_addr: usize) bool {
     return a.vtable.resize(a.ptr, memory, alignment, new_len, ret_addr);
 }
 
 /// This function is not intended to be called except from within the
-/// implementation of an Allocator.
+/// implementation of an `Allocator`.
 pub inline fn rawRemap(a: Allocator, memory: []u8, alignment: Alignment, new_len: usize, ret_addr: usize) ?[*]u8 {
     return a.vtable.remap(a.ptr, memory, alignment, new_len, ret_addr);
 }
 
 /// This function is not intended to be called except from within the
-/// implementation of an Allocator
+/// implementation of an `Allocator`.
 pub inline fn rawFree(a: Allocator, memory: []u8, alignment: Alignment, ret_addr: usize) void {
     return a.vtable.free(a.ptr, memory, alignment, ret_addr);
 }
@@ -271,7 +271,6 @@ fn allocBytesWithAlignment(self: Allocator, comptime alignment: u29, byte_count:
     }
 
     const byte_ptr = self.rawAlloc(byte_count, .fromByteUnits(alignment), return_address) orelse return Error.OutOfMemory;
-    // TODO: https://github.com/ziglang/zig/issues/4298
     @memset(byte_ptr[0..byte_count], undefined);
     return @alignCast(byte_ptr);
 }
@@ -391,7 +390,6 @@ pub fn reallocAdvanced(
         return error.OutOfMemory;
     const copy_len = @min(byte_count, old_byte_slice.len);
     @memcpy(new_mem[0..copy_len], old_byte_slice[0..copy_len]);
-    // TODO https://github.com/ziglang/zig/issues/4298
     @memset(old_byte_slice, undefined);
     self.rawFree(old_byte_slice, .fromByteUnits(Slice.alignment), return_address);
 
@@ -408,7 +406,6 @@ pub fn free(self: Allocator, memory: anytype) void {
     const bytes_len = bytes.len + if (Slice.sentinel() != null) @sizeOf(Slice.child) else 0;
     if (bytes_len == 0) return;
     const non_const_ptr = @constCast(bytes.ptr);
-    // TODO: https://github.com/ziglang/zig/issues/4298
     @memset(non_const_ptr[0..bytes_len], undefined);
     self.rawFree(non_const_ptr[0..bytes_len], .fromByteUnits(Slice.alignment), @returnAddress());
 }