diff --git a/tools/perf/util/bpf_skel/lock_contention.bpf.c b/tools/perf/util/bpf_skel/lock_contention.bpf.c
index 1d48226ae75d4..8d3cfbb3cc65b 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/bpf_skel/lock_contention.bpf.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/bpf_skel/lock_contention.bpf.c
@@ -416,8 +416,6 @@ int contention_end(u64 *ctx)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-struct rq {};
-
 extern struct rq runqueues __ksym;
 
 struct rq___old {
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/bpf_skel/vmlinux/vmlinux.h b/tools/perf/util/bpf_skel/vmlinux/vmlinux.h
index c7ed51b0c1ef9..ab84a6e1da5ee 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/bpf_skel/vmlinux/vmlinux.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/bpf_skel/vmlinux/vmlinux.h
@@ -171,4 +171,14 @@ struct bpf_perf_event_data_kern {
 	struct perf_sample_data *data;
 	struct perf_event	*event;
 } __attribute__((preserve_access_index));
+
+/*
+ * If 'struct rq' isn't defined for lock_contention.bpf.c, for the sake of
+ * rq___old and rq___new, then the type for the 'runqueue' variable ends up
+ * being a forward declaration (BTF_KIND_FWD) while the kernel has it defined
+ * (BTF_KIND_STRUCT). The definition appears in vmlinux.h rather than
+ * lock_contention.bpf.c for consistency with a generated vmlinux.h.
+ */
+struct rq {};
+
 #endif // __VMLINUX_H