diff --git a/edg/core/Generator.py b/edg/core/Generator.py
index 42a7135ef..b1a0d6bf2 100644
--- a/edg/core/Generator.py
+++ b/edg/core/Generator.py
@@ -142,7 +142,16 @@ def _generated_def_to_proto(
                     self._generator_param_values[param] = param._from_lit(
                         generate_values_map[ref_map[param].SerializeToString()]
                     )
-                self.generate()
+                try:
+                    self.generate()
+                except Exception as e:
+                    params_list_str = ", ".join(
+                        f"{self._name_of_child(param, self, allow_unknown=True)}={self._generator_param_values[param]!r}"
+                        for param in self._generator_params_list
+                    )
+                    raise RuntimeError(
+                        f"Generator {self.__class__.__name__} with parameters {{{params_list_str}}} raised exception: {e!r}"
+                    ) from e
             elif self._generator is not None:  # legacy generator style
                 fn_args = [
                     arg_param._from_lit(generate_values_map[ref_map[arg_param].SerializeToString()])
diff --git a/edg/core/test_generator_error.py b/edg/core/test_generator_error.py
index da5f5d4c3..6bba73595 100644
--- a/edg/core/test_generator_error.py
+++ b/edg/core/test_generator_error.py
@@ -6,6 +6,26 @@
 from .HdlUserExceptions import BlockDefinitionError
 
 
+class GeneratorErrorTop(DesignTop):
+    @override
+    def contents(self) -> None:
+        super().contents()
+        self.generator = self.Block(GeneratorRaises(42, "bad"))
+
+
+class GeneratorRaises(GeneratorBlock):
+    def __init__(self, param: IntLike, str_param: StringLike) -> None:
+        super().__init__()
+        self.param = self.ArgParameter(param)
+        self.str_param = self.ArgParameter(str_param)
+        self.generator_param(self.param, self.str_param)
+
+    @override
+    def generate(self) -> None:
+        super().generate()
+        raise ValueError
+
+
 class BadGeneratorTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
     # These are internal classes to avoid this error case being auto-discovered in a library
 
@@ -29,3 +49,9 @@ def generate(self) -> None:
     def test_non_arg_generator(self) -> None:
         with self.assertRaises(BlockDefinitionError):
             self.InvalidNonArgGeneratorBlock()._elaborated_def_to_proto()
+
+    def test_generator_raises(self) -> None:
+        with self.assertRaises(CompilerCheckError):
+            ScalaCompiler.compile(GeneratorErrorTop)
+        # TODO: inspect the exception, note that it is consumed by the Scala compiler
+        # and not summarized in the CompilerCheckError