diff --git a/packages/react-dom/src/__tests__/ReactDOMServerSuspense-test.internal.js b/packages/react-dom/src/__tests__/ReactDOMServerSuspense-test.internal.js
index b5ecccca7e9df..742bd4156533e 100644
--- a/packages/react-dom/src/__tests__/ReactDOMServerSuspense-test.internal.js
+++ b/packages/react-dom/src/__tests__/ReactDOMServerSuspense-test.internal.js
@@ -37,9 +37,11 @@ function initModules() {
   };
 }
 
-const {resetModules, serverRender} = ReactDOMServerIntegrationUtils(
-  initModules,
-);
+const {
+  itThrowsWhenRendering,
+  resetModules,
+  serverRender,
+} = ReactDOMServerIntegrationUtils(initModules);
 
 describe('ReactDOMServerSuspense', () => {
   beforeEach(() => {
@@ -133,4 +135,86 @@ describe('ReactDOMServerSuspense', () => {
     expect(divA).toBe(divA2);
     expect(divB).toBe(divB2);
   });
+
+  itThrowsWhenRendering(
+    'a suspending component outside a Suspense node',
+    async render => {
+      await render(
+        <div>
+          <React.Suspense />
+          <AsyncText text="Children" />
+          <React.Suspense />
+        </div>,
+        1,
+      );
+    },
+    'Add a <Suspense fallback=...> component higher in the tree',
+  );
+
+  itThrowsWhenRendering(
+    'a suspending component without a Suspense above',
+    async render => {
+      await render(
+        <div>
+          <AsyncText text="Children" />
+        </div>,
+        1,
+      );
+    },
+    'Add a <Suspense fallback=...> component higher in the tree',
+  );
+
+  it('does not get confused by throwing null', () => {
+    function Bad() {
+      // eslint-disable-next-line no-throw-literal
+      throw null;
+    }
+
+    let didError;
+    let error;
+    try {
+      ReactDOMServer.renderToString(<Bad />);
+    } catch (err) {
+      didError = true;
+      error = err;
+    }
+    expect(didError).toBe(true);
+    expect(error).toBe(null);
+  });
+
+  it('does not get confused by throwing undefined', () => {
+    function Bad() {
+      // eslint-disable-next-line no-throw-literal
+      throw undefined;
+    }
+
+    let didError;
+    let error;
+    try {
+      ReactDOMServer.renderToString(<Bad />);
+    } catch (err) {
+      didError = true;
+      error = err;
+    }
+    expect(didError).toBe(true);
+    expect(error).toBe(undefined);
+  });
+
+  it('does not get confused by throwing a primitive', () => {
+    function Bad() {
+      // eslint-disable-next-line no-throw-literal
+      throw 'foo';
+    }
+
+    let didError;
+    let error;
+    try {
+      ReactDOMServer.renderToString(<Bad />);
+    } catch (err) {
+      didError = true;
+      error = err;
+    }
+    expect(didError).toBe(true);
+    expect(error).toBe('foo');
+  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/react-dom/src/__tests__/ReactServerRendering-test.js b/packages/react-dom/src/__tests__/ReactServerRendering-test.js
index 4cd37d469ad67..bb29d665a47eb 100644
--- a/packages/react-dom/src/__tests__/ReactServerRendering-test.js
+++ b/packages/react-dom/src/__tests__/ReactServerRendering-test.js
@@ -705,6 +705,70 @@ describe('ReactDOMServer', () => {
     }).toThrow('ReactDOMServer does not yet support lazy-loaded components.');
   });
 
+  it('throws when suspending on the server', () => {
+    function AsyncFoo() {
+      throw new Promise(() => {});
+    }
+
+    expect(() => {
+      ReactDOMServer.renderToString(<AsyncFoo />);
+    }).toThrow('ReactDOMServer does not yet support Suspense.');
+  });
+
+  it('does not get confused by throwing null', () => {
+    function Bad() {
+      // eslint-disable-next-line no-throw-literal
+      throw null;
+    }
+
+    let didError;
+    let error;
+    try {
+      ReactDOMServer.renderToString(<Bad />);
+    } catch (err) {
+      didError = true;
+      error = err;
+    }
+    expect(didError).toBe(true);
+    expect(error).toBe(null);
+  });
+
+  it('does not get confused by throwing undefined', () => {
+    function Bad() {
+      // eslint-disable-next-line no-throw-literal
+      throw undefined;
+    }
+
+    let didError;
+    let error;
+    try {
+      ReactDOMServer.renderToString(<Bad />);
+    } catch (err) {
+      didError = true;
+      error = err;
+    }
+    expect(didError).toBe(true);
+    expect(error).toBe(undefined);
+  });
+
+  it('does not get confused by throwing a primitive', () => {
+    function Bad() {
+      // eslint-disable-next-line no-throw-literal
+      throw 'foo';
+    }
+
+    let didError;
+    let error;
+    try {
+      ReactDOMServer.renderToString(<Bad />);
+    } catch (err) {
+      didError = true;
+      error = err;
+    }
+    expect(didError).toBe(true);
+    expect(error).toBe('foo');
+  });
+
   it('should throw (in dev) when children are mutated during render', () => {
     function Wrapper(props) {
       props.children[1] = <p key={1} />; // Mutation is illegal
diff --git a/packages/react-dom/src/server/ReactPartialRenderer.js b/packages/react-dom/src/server/ReactPartialRenderer.js
index cab82c611e096..e29494349610c 100644
--- a/packages/react-dom/src/server/ReactPartialRenderer.js
+++ b/packages/react-dom/src/server/ReactPartialRenderer.js
@@ -883,7 +883,8 @@ class ReactDOMServerRenderer {
               const fallbackFrame = frame.fallbackFrame;
               invariant(
                 fallbackFrame,
-                'suspense fallback not found, something is broken',
+                'ReactDOMServer did not find an internal fallback frame for Suspense. ' +
+                  'This is a bug in React. Please file an issue.',
               );
               this.stack.push(fallbackFrame);
               out[this.suspenseDepth] += '<!--$!-->';
@@ -909,8 +910,20 @@ class ReactDOMServerRenderer {
         try {
           outBuffer += this.render(child, frame.context, frame.domNamespace);
         } catch (err) {
-          if (enableSuspenseServerRenderer && typeof err.then === 'function') {
-            suspended = true;
+          if (err != null && typeof err.then === 'function') {
+            if (enableSuspenseServerRenderer) {
+              invariant(
+                this.suspenseDepth > 0,
+                // TODO: include component name. This is a bit tricky with current factoring.
+                'A React component suspended while rendering, but no fallback UI was specified.\n' +
+                  '\n' +
+                  'Add a <Suspense fallback=...> component higher in the tree to ' +
+                  'provide a loading indicator or placeholder to display.',
+              );
+              suspended = true;
+            } else {
+              invariant(false, 'ReactDOMServer does not yet support Suspense.');
+            }
           } else {
             throw err;
           }
diff --git a/scripts/error-codes/codes.json b/scripts/error-codes/codes.json
index 392d643e4ef52..2c22194fc219f 100644
--- a/scripts/error-codes/codes.json
+++ b/scripts/error-codes/codes.json
@@ -301,7 +301,7 @@
   "300": "Rendered fewer hooks than expected. This may be caused by an accidental early return statement.",
   "301": "Too many re-renders. React limits the number of renders to prevent an infinite loop.",
   "302": "It is not supported to run the profiling version of a renderer (for example, `react-dom/profiling`) without also replacing the `scheduler/tracing` module with `scheduler/tracing-profiling`. Your bundler might have a setting for aliasing both modules. Learn more at http://fb.me/react-profiling",
-  "303": "suspense fallback not found, something is broken",
+  "303": "ReactDOMServer did not find an internal fallback frame for Suspense. This is a bug in React. Please file an issue.",
   "304": "Maximum number of concurrent React renderers exceeded. This can happen if you are not properly destroying the Readable provided by React. Ensure that you call .destroy() on it if you no longer want to read from it, and did not read to the end. If you use .pipe() this should be automatic.",
   "305": "The current renderer does not support hydration. This error is likely caused by a bug in React. Please file an issue.",
   "306": "Element type is invalid. Received a promise that resolves to: %s. Lazy element type must resolve to a class or function.%s",
@@ -339,5 +339,6 @@
   "338": "ReactDOMServer does not yet support the fundamental API.",
   "339": "An invalid value was used as an event listener. Expect one or many event listeners created via React.unstable_useResponder().",
   "340": "Threw in newly mounted dehydrated component. This is likely a bug in React. Please file an issue.",
-  "341": "We just came from a parent so we must have had a parent. This is a bug in React."
+  "341": "We just came from a parent so we must have had a parent. This is a bug in React.",
+  "342": "A React component suspended while rendering, but no fallback UI was specified.\n\nAdd a <Suspense fallback=...> component higher in the tree to provide a loading indicator or placeholder to display."
 }