diff --git a/src/coreclr/tools/Common/Compiler/DependencyAnalysis/ObjectNodeSection.cs b/src/coreclr/tools/Common/Compiler/DependencyAnalysis/ObjectNodeSection.cs
index de6ec995220e4d..6f0c0bec5aba19 100644
--- a/src/coreclr/tools/Common/Compiler/DependencyAnalysis/ObjectNodeSection.cs
+++ b/src/coreclr/tools/Common/Compiler/DependencyAnalysis/ObjectNodeSection.cs
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ public bool IsStandardSection
         public static readonly ObjectNodeSection FoldableReadOnlyDataSection = new ObjectNodeSection("rdata", SectionType.ReadOnly);
         public static readonly ObjectNodeSection TextSection = new ObjectNodeSection("text", SectionType.Executable);
         public static readonly ObjectNodeSection TLSSection = new ObjectNodeSection("TLS", SectionType.Writeable);
-        public static readonly ObjectNodeSection BssSection = new ObjectNodeSection("bss", SectionType.Writeable);
+        public static readonly ObjectNodeSection BssSection = new ObjectNodeSection("bss", SectionType.Uninitialized);
         public static readonly ObjectNodeSection HydrationTargetSection = new ObjectNodeSection("hydrated", SectionType.Uninitialized);
         public static readonly ObjectNodeSection ManagedCodeWindowsContentSection = new ObjectNodeSection(".managedcode$I", SectionType.Executable);
         public static readonly ObjectNodeSection FoldableManagedCodeWindowsContentSection = new ObjectNodeSection(".managedcode$I", SectionType.Executable);
diff --git a/src/coreclr/tools/aot/ILCompiler.Compiler/Compiler/DependencyAnalysis/DehydratableObjectNode.cs b/src/coreclr/tools/aot/ILCompiler.Compiler/Compiler/DependencyAnalysis/DehydratableObjectNode.cs
index daf034850e440a..ba527a6be59b9f 100644
--- a/src/coreclr/tools/aot/ILCompiler.Compiler/Compiler/DependencyAnalysis/DehydratableObjectNode.cs
+++ b/src/coreclr/tools/aot/ILCompiler.Compiler/Compiler/DependencyAnalysis/DehydratableObjectNode.cs
@@ -7,16 +7,28 @@ public abstract class DehydratableObjectNode : ObjectNode
     {
         public sealed override ObjectNodeSection GetSection(NodeFactory factory)
         {
-            return factory.MetadataManager.IsDataDehydrated ? ObjectNodeSection.HydrationTargetSection : GetDehydratedSection(factory);
+            ObjectNodeSection desiredSection = GetDehydratedSection(factory);
+
+            return factory.MetadataManager.IsDataDehydrated
+                && desiredSection.Type != SectionType.Uninitialized
+                ? ObjectNodeSection.HydrationTargetSection : desiredSection;
         }
 
         public sealed override ObjectData GetData(NodeFactory factory, bool relocsOnly = false)
         {
             ObjectData result = GetDehydratableData(factory, relocsOnly);
 
-            // If we're not generating full data yet, or dehydration is not active,
-            // return the ObjectData as is.
-            if (relocsOnly || !factory.MetadataManager.IsDataDehydrated)
+            // If we're not actually generating data yet, don't dehydrate
+            bool skipDehydrating = relocsOnly;
+
+            // If dehydration is not active, don't dehydrate
+            skipDehydrating |= !factory.MetadataManager.IsDataDehydrated;
+
+            // If the data would be placed into an uninitialized section, that's better
+            // than dehydrating a bunch of zeros.
+            skipDehydrating |= GetDehydratedSection(factory).Type == SectionType.Uninitialized;
+
+            if (skipDehydrating)
                 return result;
 
             // Otherwise return the dehydrated data
diff --git a/src/coreclr/tools/aot/ILCompiler.Compiler/Compiler/DependencyAnalysis/NonGCStaticsNode.cs b/src/coreclr/tools/aot/ILCompiler.Compiler/Compiler/DependencyAnalysis/NonGCStaticsNode.cs
index fef79f3bb9b6f5..08acf8265190a7 100644
--- a/src/coreclr/tools/aot/ILCompiler.Compiler/Compiler/DependencyAnalysis/NonGCStaticsNode.cs
+++ b/src/coreclr/tools/aot/ILCompiler.Compiler/Compiler/DependencyAnalysis/NonGCStaticsNode.cs
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ namespace ILCompiler.DependencyAnalysis
     /// with the class constructor context if the type has a class constructor that
     /// needs to be triggered before the type members can be accessed.
     /// </summary>
-    public class NonGCStaticsNode : ObjectNode, ISymbolDefinitionNode, ISortableSymbolNode
+    public class NonGCStaticsNode : DehydratableObjectNode, ISymbolDefinitionNode, ISortableSymbolNode
     {
         private readonly MetadataType _type;
         private readonly PreinitializationManager _preinitializationManager;
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ public NonGCStaticsNode(MetadataType type, PreinitializationManager preinitializ
 
         protected override string GetName(NodeFactory factory) => this.GetMangledName(factory.NameMangler);
 
-        public override ObjectNodeSection GetSection(NodeFactory factory)
+        protected override ObjectNodeSection GetDehydratedSection(NodeFactory factory)
         {
             if (_preinitializationManager.HasLazyStaticConstructor(_type)
                 || _preinitializationManager.IsPreinitialized(_type))
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ protected override DependencyList ComputeNonRelocationBasedDependencies(NodeFact
             return dependencyList;
         }
 
-        public override ObjectData GetData(NodeFactory factory, bool relocsOnly)
+        protected override ObjectData GetDehydratableData(NodeFactory factory, bool relocsOnly)
         {
             ObjectDataBuilder builder = new ObjectDataBuilder(factory, relocsOnly);