diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index f9bdbc6e7..4bb5fc542 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/mstoykov/k6-taskqueue-lib v0.1.0
 	github.com/sirupsen/logrus v1.9.3
 	github.com/stretchr/testify v1.9.0
-	go.k6.io/k6 v0.51.0
+	go.k6.io/k6 v0.51.1-0.20240529085517-bdbe5b52d1f5
 	go.opentelemetry.io/otel v1.24.0
 	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/trace v1.24.0
 	golang.org/x/net v0.23.0
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/chromedp/sysutil v1.0.0 // indirect
 	github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.1 // indirect
 	github.com/dlclark/regexp2 v1.9.0 // indirect
+	github.com/evanw/esbuild v0.21.2 // indirect
 	github.com/fatih/color v1.16.0 // indirect
 	github.com/go-logr/logr v1.4.1 // indirect
 	github.com/go-logr/stdr v1.2.2 // indirect
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index 9a34ea774..eda3c0ba7 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -33,6 +33,8 @@ github.com/dop251/goja v0.0.0-20240220182346-e401ed450204 h1:O7I1iuzEA7SG+dK8ocO
 github.com/dop251/goja v0.0.0-20240220182346-e401ed450204/go.mod h1:QMWlm50DNe14hD7t24KEqZuUdC9sOTy8W6XbCU1mlw4=
 github.com/dop251/goja_nodejs v0.0.0-20210225215109-d91c329300e7/go.mod h1:hn7BA7c8pLvoGndExHudxTDKZ84Pyvv+90pbBjbTz0Y=
 github.com/dop251/goja_nodejs v0.0.0-20211022123610-8dd9abb0616d/go.mod h1:DngW8aVqWbuLRMHItjPUyqdj+HWPvnQe8V8y1nDpIbM=
+github.com/evanw/esbuild v0.21.2 h1:CLplcGi794CfHLVmUbvVfTMKkykm+nyIHU8SU60KUTA=
+github.com/evanw/esbuild v0.21.2/go.mod h1:D2vIQZqV/vIf/VRHtViaUtViZmG7o+kKmlBfVQuRi48=
 github.com/fatih/color v1.16.0 h1:zmkK9Ngbjj+K0yRhTVONQh1p/HknKYSlNT+vZCzyokM=
 github.com/fatih/color v1.16.0/go.mod h1:fL2Sau1YI5c0pdGEVCbKQbLXB6edEj1ZgiY4NijnWvE=
 github.com/fsnotify/fsnotify v1.4.7/go.mod h1:jwhsz4b93w/PPRr/qN1Yymfu8t87LnFCMoQvtojpjFo=
@@ -137,8 +139,8 @@ github.com/tidwall/pretty v1.2.1 h1:qjsOFOWWQl+N3RsoF5/ssm1pHmJJwhjlSbZ51I6wMl4=
 github.com/tidwall/pretty v1.2.1/go.mod h1:ITEVvHYasfjBbM0u2Pg8T2nJnzm8xPwvNhhsoaGGjNU=
 github.com/yuin/goldmark v1.2.1/go.mod h1:3hX8gzYuyVAZsxl0MRgGTJEmQBFcNTphYh9decYSb74=
 github.com/yuin/goldmark v1.4.13/go.mod h1:6yULJ656Px+3vBD8DxQVa3kxgyrAnzto9xy5taEt/CY=
-go.k6.io/k6 v0.51.0 h1:TdMpPNwYuvtmBF1APoKFHuMnNzdIMI/XLaPklSjrIUw=
-go.k6.io/k6 v0.51.0/go.mod h1:72d4MKuvKiRnkbPBGOk/gbz1aAcbKycX+GIlU7IOpuA=
+go.k6.io/k6 v0.51.1-0.20240529085517-bdbe5b52d1f5 h1:cJBN6CjQVgxjmKduTN3VmEbZxruGnLO6Ip79FAf84Gw=
+go.k6.io/k6 v0.51.1-0.20240529085517-bdbe5b52d1f5/go.mod h1:YvtuIbREVgWl7DuAT0IZqaiw4SxxRqLOXdlgkXkR0rU=
 go.opentelemetry.io/otel v1.24.0 h1:0LAOdjNmQeSTzGBzduGe/rU4tZhMwL5rWgtp9Ku5Jfo=
 go.opentelemetry.io/otel v1.24.0/go.mod h1:W7b9Ozg4nkF5tWI5zsXkaKKDjdVjpD4oAt9Qi/MArHo=
 go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/otlp/otlptrace v1.24.0 h1:t6wl9SPayj+c7lEIFgm4ooDBZVb01IhLB4InpomhRw8=
diff --git a/k6ext/k6test/vu.go b/k6ext/k6test/vu.go
index 376613530..b3834d7ef 100644
--- a/k6ext/k6test/vu.go
+++ b/k6ext/k6test/vu.go
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import (
 	k6common "go.k6.io/k6/js/common"
 	k6eventloop "go.k6.io/k6/js/eventloop"
 	k6modulestest "go.k6.io/k6/js/modulestest"
+	"go.k6.io/k6/lib"
 	k6lib "go.k6.io/k6/lib"
 	k6executor "go.k6.io/k6/lib/executor"
 	k6testutils "go.k6.io/k6/lib/testutils"
@@ -158,9 +159,6 @@ func NewVU(tb testing.TB, opts ...any) *VU {
 
 	logger := k6testutils.NewLogger(tb)
 
-	root, err := k6lib.NewGroup("", nil)
-	require.NoError(tb, err)
-
 	testRT := k6modulestest.NewRuntime(tb)
 	testRT.VU.InitEnvField.LookupEnv = lookupFunc
 	testRT.VU.EventsField = k6common.Events{
@@ -168,8 +166,6 @@ func NewVU(tb testing.TB, opts ...any) *VU {
 		Local:  k6event.NewEventSystem(100, logger),
 	}
 
-	tags := testRT.VU.InitEnvField.Registry.RootTagSet()
-
 	state := &k6lib.State{
 		Options: k6lib.Options{
 			MaxRedirects: null.IntFrom(10),
@@ -191,11 +187,12 @@ func NewVU(tb testing.TB, opts ...any) *VU {
 				},
 			},
 		},
-		Logger:         logger,
-		Group:          root,
-		BufferPool:     k6lib.NewBufferPool(),
-		Samples:        samples,
-		Tags:           k6lib.NewVUStateTags(tags.With("group", root.Path)),
+		Logger:     logger,
+		BufferPool: k6lib.NewBufferPool(),
+		Samples:    samples,
+		Tags: k6lib.NewVUStateTags(
+			testRT.VU.InitEnvField.Registry.RootTagSet().With("group", lib.RootGroupPath),
+		),
 		BuiltinMetrics: k6metrics.RegisterBuiltinMetrics(k6metrics.NewRegistry()),
 		TracerProvider: tracerProvider,
 	}