diff --git a/pytest_pyodide/runner.py b/pytest_pyodide/runner.py
index 3ad8f92b..e243b29b 100644
--- a/pytest_pyodide/runner.py
+++ b/pytest_pyodide/runner.py
@@ -316,7 +316,39 @@ def run_webworker(self, code):
         )
 
     def load_package(self, packages):
-        self.run_js(f"await pyodide.loadPackage({packages!r})")
+        # Pyodide's ``loadPackage`` reports failures in two different ways:
+        #
+        #   * For a known-but-unresolvable package (e.g. a wheel URL that
+        #     404s), the returned promise resolves normally and the failure
+        #     is only delivered via the ``errorCallback`` option.
+        #   * For an unknown package name, the returned promise rejects
+        #     with a JavaScript ``Error``.
+        #
+        # Both paths are easy to miss in tests -- in the first case the
+        # missing package surfaces later as a confusing
+        # ``ModuleNotFoundError`` inside Pyodide. We normalize both into a
+        # single ``RuntimeError`` raised at the call site so load failures
+        # are always reported immediately and with the problematic package
+        # reference in the message.
+        result = self.run_js(
+            f"""
+            const __errors = [];
+            try {{
+                await pyodide.loadPackage({packages!r}, {{
+                    errorCallback: (msg) => {{ __errors.push(msg); }},
+                }});
+            }} catch (e) {{
+                __errors.push(e.message || String(e));
+            }}
+            return __errors;
+            """
+        )
+        if result:
+            raise RuntimeError(
+                "pyodide.loadPackage({!r}) reported errors:\n  {}".format(
+                    packages, "\n  ".join(result)
+                )
+            )
 
 
 class _SeleniumBaseRunner(_BrowserBaseRunner):
diff --git a/tests/test_load_package.py b/tests/test_load_package.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d04a53b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_load_package.py
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+"""Tests for ``SeleniumBrowserRunner.load_package``.
+
+Pyodide's ``pyodide.loadPackage`` does not raise when a package cannot be
+loaded (e.g. the wheel URL 404s or the package name is unknown); it only
+invokes the ``errorCallback`` option. Our ``load_package`` wrapper collects
+those callback messages and turns them into a ``RuntimeError`` so that the
+failure is reported at the call site rather than surfacing later as a
+confusing ``ModuleNotFoundError`` inside Pyodide.
+"""
+
+import pytest
+
+
+def test_load_package_succeeds(selenium):
+    """Sanity check: loading a package that exists in the Pyodide dist
+    must not raise, and the package must be importable afterwards."""
+    selenium.load_package("micropip")
+    # If the package is really loaded, importing it in Pyodide succeeds.
+    selenium.run_js("await pyodide.runPythonAsync('import micropip');")
+
+
+def test_load_package_bad_url_raises(selenium):
+    """A URL that 404s must cause load_package to raise, and the error
+    message must mention the failure reported by Pyodide."""
+    bad_url = (
+        f"http://{selenium.server_hostname}:{selenium.server_port}"
+        "/does-not-exist-pytest_pyodide_test.whl"
+    )
+    with pytest.raises(RuntimeError) as exc_info:
+        selenium.load_package(bad_url)
+
+    msg = str(exc_info.value)
+    assert "loadPackage" in msg
+    assert bad_url in msg
+
+
+def test_load_package_unknown_name_raises(selenium):
+    """An unknown package name must also cause load_package to raise."""
+    with pytest.raises(RuntimeError) as exc_info:
+        selenium.load_package("definitely-not-a-real-package-xyz")
+
+    msg = str(exc_info.value)
+    assert "loadPackage" in msg
+    assert "definitely-not-a-real-package-xyz" in msg
+
+
+def test_load_package_partial_failure_raises(selenium):
+    """If a list contains both a valid and an invalid package, the call
+    must still raise so the failure is not silently swallowed."""
+    with pytest.raises(RuntimeError) as exc_info:
+        selenium.load_package(["micropip", "definitely-not-a-real-package-xyz"])
+
+    msg = str(exc_info.value)
+    assert "definitely-not-a-real-package-xyz" in msg