diff --git a/modules/ui/popup/autoload/popup.el b/modules/ui/popup/autoload/popup.el
index f6ac1da82..6b1b11a55 100644
--- a/modules/ui/popup/autoload/popup.el
+++ b/modules/ui/popup/autoload/popup.el
@@ -215,23 +215,24 @@ restoring it if `+popup-buffer-mode' is disabled."
 ;;;###autoload
 (defun +popup|set-modeline-on-enable ()
   "Don't show modeline in popup windows without a `modeline' window-parameter.
+Possible values for this parameter are:
 
-+ If one exists and it's a symbol, use `doom-modeline' to grab the format.
-+ If non-nil, show the mode-line as normal.
-+ If nil (or omitted), then hide the modeline entirely (the default).
-+ If a function, it takes the current buffer as its argument and must return one
-  of the above values."
+  t            show the mode-line as normal
+  nil          hide the modeline entirely (the default)
+  a function   `mode-line-format' is set to its return value
+
+Any non-nil value besides the above will be used as the raw value for
+`mode-line-format'."
   (when (bound-and-true-p +popup-buffer-mode)
     (let ((modeline (+popup-parameter 'modeline)))
       (cond ((eq modeline 't))
-            ((or (eq modeline 'nil)
-                 (null modeline))
+            ((null modeline)
              ;; TODO use `mode-line-format' window parameter instead (emacs 26+)
              (hide-mode-line-mode +1))
-            ((functionp modeline)
-             (funcall modeline))
-            ((symbolp modeline)
-             (when-let* ((hide-mode-line-format (doom-modeline modeline)))
+            ((let ((hide-mode-line-format
+                    (if (functionp modeline)
+                        (funcall modeline)
+                      modeline)))
                (hide-mode-line-mode +1)))))))
 (put '+popup|set-modeline-on-enable 'permanent-local-hook t)
 
diff --git a/modules/ui/popup/autoload/settings.el b/modules/ui/popup/autoload/settings.el
index 3d9d82f65..e700e5445 100644
--- a/modules/ui/popup/autoload/settings.el
+++ b/modules/ui/popup/autoload/settings.el
@@ -143,11 +143,11 @@ PLIST can be made up of any of the following properties:
     (where you were before the popup opened). The popup system does nothing else
     and ignores the function's return value.
 
-:modeline BOOL|SYMBOL|FN
-  Can be t (show the default modeline), a symbol representing the name of a
-  modeline defined with `def-modeline!', nil (show no modeline) or a function
-  that returns a modeline format. The function takes no arguments and is run in
-  the context of the popup buffer.
+:modeline BOOL|FN|LIST
+  Can be t (show the default modeline), nil (show no modeline), a function that
+  returns a modeline format or a valid value for `mode-line-format' to be used
+  verbatim. The function takes no arguments and is run in the context of the
+  popup buffer.
 
 :autosave BOOL|FN
   This parameter determines what to do with modified buffers when closing popup
diff --git a/modules/ui/popup/test/test-popup.el b/modules/ui/popup/test/test-popup.el
index 332a2fded..0f666affe 100644
--- a/modules/ui/popup/test/test-popup.el
+++ b/modules/ui/popup/test/test-popup.el
@@ -140,10 +140,9 @@
         (display-buffer a)
         (expect mode-line-format :to-equal (default-value 'mode-line-format)))
       (it "uses a predefined mode-line if passed a symbol"
-        (def-modeline! test-popup-modeline ("x") ())
-        (set-popup-rule! "a" :modeline 'test-popup-modeline :select t)
+        (set-popup-rule! "a" :modeline '("x") :select t)
         (display-buffer a)
-        (expect mode-line-format :to-equal (doom-modeline 'test-popup-modeline)))
+        (expect mode-line-format :to-equal '("x")))
       (it "runs the handler if passed a function"
         (set-popup-rule! "a" :modeline (lambda () (setq mode-line-format '("x"))) :select t)
         (display-buffer a)