diff --git a/History.md b/History.md
index 0f6819a013..85dc0920ed 100644
--- a/History.md
+++ b/History.md
@@ -5,6 +5,11 @@
   `nodeType` property of an object couldn't be checked, fixing
   [#7354](https://github.com/meteor/meteor/issues/7354).
 
+* The `standard-minifier-js` and `minifier-js` packages now have improved
+  error capturing to provide more information on otherwise unhelpful errors
+  thrown when UglifyJS encounters ECMAScript grammar it is not familiar with.
+  [#8414](https://github.com/meteor/meteor/pull/8414)
+
 ## v1.4.3.1, 2017-02-14
 
 * The `meteor-babel` npm package has been upgraded to version 0.14.4,
diff --git a/packages/minifier-js/package.js b/packages/minifier-js/package.js
index be89e758e0..b741592858 100644
--- a/packages/minifier-js/package.js
+++ b/packages/minifier-js/package.js
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 Package.describe({
   summary: "JavaScript minifier",
-  version: "1.2.17"
+  version: "1.2.18"
 });
 
 Npm.depends({
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ Npm.strip({
 });
 
 Package.onUse(function (api) {
-  api.use('underscore', 'server');
   api.export(['UglifyJSMinify', 'UglifyJS']);
   api.addFiles(['minifier.js'], 'server');
 });
diff --git a/packages/standard-minifier-js/package.js b/packages/standard-minifier-js/package.js
index 94ec659c3a..736b1d27d1 100644
--- a/packages/standard-minifier-js/package.js
+++ b/packages/standard-minifier-js/package.js
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 Package.describe({
   name: 'standard-minifier-js',
-  version: '1.2.2',
+  version: '1.2.3',
   summary: 'Standard javascript minifiers used with Meteor apps by default.',
   documentation: 'README.md'
 });
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ Package.describe({
 Package.registerBuildPlugin({
   name: "minifyStdJS",
   use: [
-    'minifier-js'
+    'minifier-js@1.2.18'
   ],
   sources: [
     'plugin/minify-js.js'
diff --git a/packages/standard-minifier-js/plugin/minify-js.js b/packages/standard-minifier-js/plugin/minify-js.js
index b9a5248826..c1ff32c96b 100644
--- a/packages/standard-minifier-js/plugin/minify-js.js
+++ b/packages/standard-minifier-js/plugin/minify-js.js
@@ -32,13 +32,109 @@ UglifyJSMinifier.prototype.processFilesForBundle = function (files, options) {
     }
   };
 
+  function maybeThrowMinifyErrorBySourceFile(error, file) {
+    var minifierErrorRegex = /\(line: (\d+), col: (\d+), pos: (\d+)\)/;
+    var parseError = minifierErrorRegex.exec(error.toString());
+
+    if (parseError) {
+      var lineErrorMessage = parseError[0];
+      var lineErrorLineNumber = parseError[1];
+
+      var parseErrorContentIndex = lineErrorLineNumber - 1;
+
+      // Unlikely, since we have a multi-line fixed header in this file.
+      if (parseErrorContentIndex < 0) {
+        return;
+      }
+
+      /*
+
+      What we're parsing looks like this:
+
+      /////////////////////////////////////////
+      //                                     //
+      // path/to/file.js                     //
+      //                                     //
+      /////////////////////////////////////////
+                                             // 1
+         var illegalECMAScript = true;       // 2
+                                             // 3
+      /////////////////////////////////////////
+
+      Btw, the above code is intentionally not newer ECMAScript so
+      we don't break ourselves.
+
+      */
+
+      var contents = file.getContentsAsString().split(/\n/);
+      var lineContent = contents[parseErrorContentIndex];
+
+      // Try to grab the line number, which sometimes doesn't exist on
+      // line, abnormally-long lines in a larger block.
+      var lineSrcLineParts = /^(.*?)(?:\s*\/\/ (\d+))?$/.exec(lineContent);
+
+      // The line didn't match at all?  Let's just not try.
+      if (!lineSrcLineParts) {
+        return;
+      }
+
+      var lineSrcLineContent = lineSrcLineParts[1];
+      var lineSrcLineNumber = lineSrcLineParts[2];
+
+      // Count backward from the failed line to find the filename.
+      for (var c = parseErrorContentIndex - 1; c >= 0; c--) {
+        var sourceLine = contents[c];
+
+        // If the line is a boatload of slashes, we're in the right place.
+        if (/^\/\/\/{6,}$/.test(sourceLine)) {
+
+          // If 4 lines back is the same exact line, we've found the framing.
+          if (contents[c - 4] === sourceLine) {
+
+            // So in that case, 2 lines back is the file path.
+            var parseErrorPath = contents[c - 2]
+              .substring(3)
+              .replace(/\s+\/\//, "");
+
+            var minError = new Error(
+              "UglifyJS minification error: \n\n" +
+              error.message + " at " + parseErrorPath +
+              (lineSrcLineNumber ? " line " + lineSrcLineNumber + "\n\n" : "") +
+              " within " + file.getPathInBundle() + " " +
+              lineErrorMessage + ":\n\n" +
+              lineSrcLineContent + "\n"
+            );
+
+            throw minError;
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
   var allJs = '';
   files.forEach(function (file) {
     // Don't reminify *.min.js.
     if (/\.min\.js$/.test(file.getPathInBundle())) {
       allJs += file.getContentsAsString();
     } else {
-      allJs += UglifyJSMinify(file.getContentsAsString(), minifyOptions).code;
+      var minified;
+      try {
+        minified = UglifyJSMinify(file.getContentsAsString(), minifyOptions);
+        if (!(minified && typeof minified.code === "string")) {
+          throw new Error();
+        }
+      } catch (err) {
+        var filePath = file.getPathInBundle();
+
+        // Try to catch the ugly Uglify error.
+        maybeThrowMinifyErrorBySourceFile(err, file);
+
+        err.message += " while minifying " + filePath;
+        throw err;
+      }
+
+      allJs += minified.code;
     }
     allJs += '\n\n';
 
@@ -49,5 +145,3 @@ UglifyJSMinifier.prototype.processFilesForBundle = function (files, options) {
     files[0].addJavaScript({ data: allJs });
   }
 };
-
-