diff --git a/block/blk-cgroup.c b/block/blk-cgroup.c
index 00da55c6ec43..5b7a32293dc6 100644
--- a/block/blk-cgroup.c
+++ b/block/blk-cgroup.c
@@ -884,7 +884,11 @@ int blkg_conf_prep(struct blkcg *blkcg, const struct blkcg_policy *pol,
 			parent = blkcg_parent(parent);
 		}
 
-		/* Drop locks to do new blkg allocation with GFP_KERNEL. */
+		/*
+		 * Drop the spinlock to allocate the new blkg. rq_qos_mutex and
+		 * blkcg_mutex stay held, and both are taken with the queue
+		 * frozen elsewhere: GFP_NOIO.
+		 */
 		spin_unlock_irq(&q->queue_lock);
 
 		new_blkg = blkg_alloc(pos, disk, GFP_NOIO);
@@ -893,7 +897,7 @@ int blkg_conf_prep(struct blkcg *blkcg, const struct blkcg_policy *pol,
 			goto fail_exit;
 		}
 
-		if (radix_tree_preload(GFP_KERNEL)) {
+		if (radix_tree_preload(GFP_NOIO)) {
 			blkg_free(new_blkg);
 			ret = -ENOMEM;
 			goto fail_exit;
@@ -1648,7 +1652,8 @@ int blkcg_activate_policy(struct gendisk *disk, const struct blkcg_policy *pol)
 		if (!pd) {
 			/*
 			 * GFP_NOWAIT failed.  Free the existing one and
-			 * prealloc for @blkg w/ GFP_KERNEL.
+			 * prealloc for @blkg w/ GFP_NOIO: blkcg_mutex is held,
+			 * and a bio based queue has not been frozen above.
 			 */
 			if (pinned_blkg)
 				blkg_put(pinned_blkg);
@@ -1660,7 +1665,7 @@ int blkcg_activate_policy(struct gendisk *disk, const struct blkcg_policy *pol)
 			if (pd_prealloc)
 				pol->pd_free_fn(pd_prealloc);
 			pd_prealloc = pol->pd_alloc_fn(disk, blkg->blkcg,
-						       GFP_KERNEL);
+						       GFP_NOIO);
 			if (pd_prealloc)
 				goto retry;
 			else
diff --git a/block/blk-iocost.c b/block/blk-iocost.c
index 7b5d865d8c14..47bea7f31408 100644
--- a/block/blk-iocost.c
+++ b/block/blk-iocost.c
@@ -2938,11 +2938,12 @@ static int blk_iocost_init(struct gendisk *disk)
 	struct ioc *ioc;
 	int i, cpu, ret;
 
-	ioc = kzalloc_obj(*ioc);
+	/* The caller holds rq_qos_mutex, which is taken with the queue frozen */
+	ioc = kzalloc_obj(*ioc, GFP_NOIO);
 	if (!ioc)
 		return -ENOMEM;
 
-	ioc->pcpu_stat = alloc_percpu(struct ioc_pcpu_stat);
+	ioc->pcpu_stat = alloc_percpu_gfp(struct ioc_pcpu_stat, GFP_NOIO);
 	if (!ioc->pcpu_stat) {
 		kfree(ioc);
 		return -ENOMEM;
diff --git a/block/blk-iolatency.c b/block/blk-iolatency.c
index c15b1aba606c..a3bd153c67be 100644
--- a/block/blk-iolatency.c
+++ b/block/blk-iolatency.c
@@ -761,7 +761,8 @@ static int blk_iolatency_init(struct gendisk *disk)
 	struct blk_iolatency *blkiolat;
 	int ret;
 
-	blkiolat = kzalloc_obj(*blkiolat);
+	/* The caller holds rq_qos_mutex, which is taken with the queue frozen */
+	blkiolat = kzalloc_obj(*blkiolat, GFP_NOIO);
 	if (!blkiolat)
 		return -ENOMEM;
 
diff --git a/block/blk-throttle.c b/block/blk-throttle.c
index c46807a0faab..c5e26551956a 100644
--- a/block/blk-throttle.c
+++ b/block/blk-throttle.c
@@ -1322,7 +1322,8 @@ static int blk_throtl_init(struct gendisk *disk)
 	unsigned int memflags;
 	int ret;
 
-	td = kzalloc_node(sizeof(*td), GFP_KERNEL, q->node);
+	/* The caller holds rq_qos_mutex, which is taken with the queue frozen */
+	td = kzalloc_node(sizeof(*td), GFP_NOIO, q->node);
 	if (!td)
 		return -ENOMEM;