diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 1938a50b70f8..752b05f4004f 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -213,6 +213,7 @@ include(iree_tablegen_library)
 include(iree_tablegen_doc)
 include(iree_cc_embed_data)
 include(iree_bytecode_module)
+include(iree_c_module)
 include(iree_python)
 include(iree_lit_test)
 include(iree_add_all_subdirs)
diff --git a/build_tools/cmake/iree_bytecode_module.cmake b/build_tools/cmake/iree_bytecode_module.cmake
index 54419534d75f..0af567af62f2 100644
--- a/build_tools/cmake/iree_bytecode_module.cmake
+++ b/build_tools/cmake/iree_bytecode_module.cmake
@@ -21,8 +21,10 @@ include(CMakeParseArguments)
 # Parameters:
 # NAME: Name of target (see Note).
 # SRC: Source file to compile into a bytecode module.
-# FLAGS: Flags to pass to the translation tool (list of strings).
-# TRANSLATE_TOOL: Translation tool to invoke (CMake target).
+# FLAGS: Flags to pass to the translation tool (list of strings). The
+#     default flag set is "-iree-mlir-to-vm-bytecode-module".
+# TRANSLATE_TOOL: Translation tool to invoke (CMake target). The default
+#     tool is "iree-translate".
 # CC_NAMESPACE: Wraps everything in a C++ namespace.
 # PUBLIC: Add this so that this library will be exported under ${PACKAGE}::
 #     Also in IDE, target will appear in ${PACKAGE} folder while non PUBLIC
diff --git a/build_tools/cmake/iree_c_module.cmake b/build_tools/cmake/iree_c_module.cmake
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..3cf7a61eacf6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build_tools/cmake/iree_c_module.cmake
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+# Copyright 2021 Google LLC
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#      https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+include(CMakeParseArguments)
+
+# iree_c_module()
+#
+# Parameters:
+# NAME: Name of target (see Note).
+# SRC: MLIR source file to compile into a c module.
+# H_FILE_OUTPUT: The H header file to output.
+# TRANSLATE_TOOL: Translation tool to invoke (CMake target). The default
+#     tool is "iree-translate".
+# FLAGS: Flags to pass to the translation tool (list of strings). The
+#     default flag set is "-iree-vm-ir-to-c-module".
+# TESTONLY: When added, this target will only be built if user passes
+#    -DIREE_BUILD_TESTS=ON to CMake.
+#
+# Note:
+# By default, iree_c_module will create a library named ${NAME},
+# and alias target iree::${NAME}. The iree:: form should always be used.
+# This is to reduce namespace pollution.
+function(iree_c_module)
+  cmake_parse_arguments(
+    _RULE
+    "TESTONLY"
+    "NAME;SRC;H_FILE_OUTPUT;TRANSLATE_TOOL"
+    "FLAGS"
+    ${ARGN}
+  )
+
+  if(_RULE_TESTONLY AND NOT IREE_BUILD_TESTS)
+    return()
+  endif()
+
+  # Replace dependencies passed by ::name with iree::package::name
+  iree_package_ns(_PACKAGE_NS)
+  list(TRANSFORM _RULE_DEPS REPLACE "^::" "${_PACKAGE_NS}::")
+
+  # Prefix the library with the package name, so we get: iree_package_name.
+  iree_package_name(_PACKAGE_NAME)
+  set(_NAME "${_PACKAGE_NAME}_${_RULE_NAME}")
+
+  # Set defaults for FLAGS and TRANSLATE_TOOL
+  if(DEFINED _RULE_FLAGS)
+    set(_FLAGS ${_RULE_FLAGS})
+  else()
+    set(_FLAGS "-iree-vm-ir-to-c-module")
+  endif()
+  if(DEFINED _RULE_TRANSLATE_TOOL)
+    set(_TRANSLATE_TOOL ${_RULE_TRANSLATE_TOOL})
+  else()
+    set(_TRANSLATE_TOOL "iree-translate")
+  endif()
+
+  iree_get_executable_path(_TRANSLATE_TOOL_EXECUTABLE ${_TRANSLATE_TOOL})
+
+  set(_ARGS "${_FLAGS}")
+  list(APPEND _ARGS "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/${_RULE_SRC}")
+  list(APPEND _ARGS "-o")
+  list(APPEND _ARGS "${_RULE_H_FILE_OUTPUT}")
+
+  add_custom_command(
+    OUTPUT "${_RULE_H_FILE_OUTPUT}"
+    COMMAND ${_TRANSLATE_TOOL_EXECUTABLE} ${_ARGS}
+    # Changes to either the translation tool or the input source should
+    # trigger rebuilding.
+    DEPENDS ${_TRANSLATE_TOOL_EXECUTABLE} ${_RULE_SRC}
+  )
+
+  set(_GEN_TARGET "${_NAME}_gen")
+  add_custom_target(
+    ${_GEN_TARGET}
+    DEPENDS
+      ${_RULE_H_FILE_OUTPUT}
+  )
+  
+  add_library(${_NAME} INTERFACE)
+  add_dependencies(${_NAME} ${_GEN_TARGET})
+
+  # Alias the iree_package_name library to iree::package::name.
+  # This lets us more clearly map to Bazel and makes it possible to
+  # disambiguate the underscores in paths vs. the separators.
+  add_library(${_PACKAGE_NS}::${_RULE_NAME} ALIAS ${_NAME})
+  iree_package_dir(_PACKAGE_DIR)
+  if(${_RULE_NAME} STREQUAL ${_PACKAGE_DIR})
+    # If the library name matches the package then treat it as a default.
+    # For example, foo/bar/ library 'bar' would end up as 'foo::bar'.
+    add_library(${_PACKAGE_NS} ALIAS ${_NAME})
+  endif()
+endfunction()
diff --git a/iree/samples/emitc_modules/CMakeLists.txt b/iree/samples/emitc_modules/CMakeLists.txt
index 772fcdee4d75..38c20f67d511 100644
--- a/iree/samples/emitc_modules/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/iree/samples/emitc_modules/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -13,18 +13,13 @@
 # limitations under the License.
 
 if(${IREE_ENABLE_EMITC})
-  # TODO(simon-camp): We are only interested in the output of iree-translate, i.e. add_module.vmfb
-  # TODO(marbre): Use a custom command or rather implement a new CMake function.
-  iree_bytecode_module(
+  iree_c_module(
     NAME
       add_module
     SRC
       "add.mlir"
-    CC_NAMESPACE
-      "iree::samples::custom_modules"
-    FLAGS
-      "-iree-vm-ir-to-c-module"
-    PUBLIC
+    H_FILE_OUTPUT
+      "add_module.h"
   )
 
   iree_cc_test(
@@ -33,7 +28,7 @@ if(${IREE_ENABLE_EMITC})
     SRCS
       "add_module_test.cc"
     DEPS
-      ::add_module_cc
+      ::add_module
       iree::base::api
       iree::base::status
       iree::testing::gtest
diff --git a/iree/samples/emitc_modules/add_module_test.cc b/iree/samples/emitc_modules/add_module_test.cc
index 5159f82aa045..d70be249a173 100644
--- a/iree/samples/emitc_modules/add_module_test.cc
+++ b/iree/samples/emitc_modules/add_module_test.cc
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 // See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 // limitations under the License.
 
-#include "iree/samples/emitc_modules/add_module.vmfb"
+#include "iree/samples/emitc_modules/add_module.h"
 
 #include "iree/base/status.h"
 #include "iree/testing/gtest.h"
diff --git a/iree/vm/test/emitc/CMakeLists.txt b/iree/vm/test/emitc/CMakeLists.txt
index c89fc4a6d013..5cd9b8c90b91 100644
--- a/iree/vm/test/emitc/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/iree/vm/test/emitc/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -30,162 +30,126 @@ iree_cc_test(
     iree::vm::cc
     iree::vm::ops
     iree::vm::shims
-    ::arithmetic_ops_cc
-    ::arithmetic_ops_i64_cc
-    ::assignment_ops_cc
-    ::assignment_ops_i64_cc
-    ::comparison_ops_cc
-    ::comparison_ops_i64_cc
-    ::control_flow_ops_cc
-    ::conversion_ops_cc
-    ::conversion_ops_i64_cc
-    ::global_ops_cc
-    ::shift_ops_cc
-    ::shift_ops_i64_cc
+    ::arithmetic_ops
+    ::arithmetic_ops_i64
+    ::assignment_ops
+    ::assignment_ops_i64
+    ::comparison_ops
+    ::comparison_ops_i64
+    ::control_flow_ops
+    ::conversion_ops
+    ::conversion_ops_i64
+    ::global_ops
+    ::shift_ops
+    ::shift_ops_i64
 )
 
-iree_bytecode_module(
+iree_c_module(
   NAME
     arithmetic_ops
   SRC
     "../arithmetic_ops.mlir"
-  CC_NAMESPACE
-    "iree::vm::test::emitc"
-  FLAGS
-    "-iree-vm-ir-to-c-module"
-  PUBLIC
+  H_FILE_OUTPUT
+    "arithmetic_ops.h"
 )
 
-iree_bytecode_module(
+iree_c_module(
   NAME
     arithmetic_ops_i64
   SRC
     "../arithmetic_ops_i64.mlir"
-  CC_NAMESPACE
-    "iree::vm::test::emitc"
-  FLAGS
-    "-iree-vm-ir-to-c-module"
-  PUBLIC
+  H_FILE_OUTPUT
+    "arithmetic_ops_i64.h"
 )
 
-iree_bytecode_module(
+iree_c_module(
   NAME
     assignment_ops
   SRC
     "../assignment_ops.mlir"
-  CC_NAMESPACE
-    "iree::vm::test::emitc"
-  FLAGS
-    "-iree-vm-ir-to-c-module"
-  PUBLIC
+  H_FILE_OUTPUT
+    "assignment_ops.h"
 )
 
-iree_bytecode_module(
+iree_c_module(
   NAME
     assignment_ops_i64
   SRC
     "../assignment_ops_i64.mlir"
-  CC_NAMESPACE
-    "iree::vm::test::emitc"
-  FLAGS
-    "-iree-vm-ir-to-c-module"
-  PUBLIC
+  H_FILE_OUTPUT
+    "assignment_ops_i64.h"
 )
 
-iree_bytecode_module(
+iree_c_module(
   NAME
     comparison_ops
   SRC
     "../comparison_ops.mlir"
-  CC_NAMESPACE
-    "iree::vm::test::emitc"
-  FLAGS
-    "-iree-vm-ir-to-c-module"
-  PUBLIC
+  H_FILE_OUTPUT
+    "comparison_ops.h"
 )
 
-iree_bytecode_module(
+iree_c_module(
   NAME
     comparison_ops_i64
   SRC
     "../comparison_ops_i64.mlir"
-  CC_NAMESPACE
-    "iree::vm::test::emitc"
-  FLAGS
-    "-iree-vm-ir-to-c-module"
-  PUBLIC
+  H_FILE_OUTPUT
+    "comparison_ops_i64.h"
 )
 
-iree_bytecode_module(
+iree_c_module(
   NAME
     control_flow_ops
   SRC
     "../control_flow_ops.mlir"
-  CC_NAMESPACE
-    "iree::vm::test::emitc"
-  FLAGS
-    "-iree-vm-ir-to-c-module"
-  PUBLIC
+  H_FILE_OUTPUT
+    "control_flow_ops.h"
 )
 
-iree_bytecode_module(
+iree_c_module(
   NAME
     conversion_ops
   SRC
     "../conversion_ops.mlir"
-  CC_NAMESPACE
-    "iree::vm::test::emitc"
-  FLAGS
-    "-iree-vm-ir-to-c-module"
-  PUBLIC
+  H_FILE_OUTPUT
+    "conversion_ops.h"
 )
 
-iree_bytecode_module(
+iree_c_module(
   NAME
     conversion_ops_i64
   SRC
     "../conversion_ops_i64.mlir"
-  CC_NAMESPACE
-    "iree::vm::test::emitc"
-  FLAGS
-    "-iree-vm-ir-to-c-module"
-  PUBLIC
+  H_FILE_OUTPUT
+    "conversion_ops_i64.h"
 )
 
-iree_bytecode_module(
+iree_c_module(
   NAME
     global_ops
   SRC
     "../global_ops.mlir"
-  CC_NAMESPACE
-    "iree::vm::test::emitc"
-  FLAGS
-    "-iree-vm-ir-to-c-module"
-  PUBLIC
+  H_FILE_OUTPUT
+    "global_ops.h"
 )
 
-iree_bytecode_module(
+iree_c_module(
   NAME
     shift_ops
   SRC
     "../shift_ops.mlir"
-  CC_NAMESPACE
-    "iree::vm::test::emitc"
-  FLAGS
-    "-iree-vm-ir-to-c-module"
-  PUBLIC
+  H_FILE_OUTPUT
+    "shift_ops.h"
 )
 
-iree_bytecode_module(
+iree_c_module(
   NAME
     shift_ops_i64
   SRC
     "../shift_ops_i64.mlir"
-  CC_NAMESPACE
-    "iree::vm::test::emitc"
-  FLAGS
-    "-iree-vm-ir-to-c-module"
-  PUBLIC
+  H_FILE_OUTPUT
+    "shift_ops_i64.h"
 )
 
 endif()
diff --git a/iree/vm/test/emitc/module_test.cc b/iree/vm/test/emitc/module_test.cc
index bf0c686ebfc2..a487250be362 100644
--- a/iree/vm/test/emitc/module_test.cc
+++ b/iree/vm/test/emitc/module_test.cc
@@ -18,18 +18,18 @@
 #include "iree/base/status.h"
 #include "iree/testing/gtest.h"
 #include "iree/vm/api.h"
-#include "iree/vm/test/emitc/arithmetic_ops.vmfb"
-#include "iree/vm/test/emitc/arithmetic_ops_i64.vmfb"
-#include "iree/vm/test/emitc/assignment_ops.vmfb"
-#include "iree/vm/test/emitc/assignment_ops_i64.vmfb"
-#include "iree/vm/test/emitc/comparison_ops.vmfb"
-#include "iree/vm/test/emitc/comparison_ops_i64.vmfb"
-#include "iree/vm/test/emitc/control_flow_ops.vmfb"
-#include "iree/vm/test/emitc/conversion_ops.vmfb"
-#include "iree/vm/test/emitc/conversion_ops_i64.vmfb"
-#include "iree/vm/test/emitc/global_ops.vmfb"
-#include "iree/vm/test/emitc/shift_ops.vmfb"
-#include "iree/vm/test/emitc/shift_ops_i64.vmfb"
+#include "iree/vm/test/emitc/arithmetic_ops.h"
+#include "iree/vm/test/emitc/arithmetic_ops_i64.h"
+#include "iree/vm/test/emitc/assignment_ops.h"
+#include "iree/vm/test/emitc/assignment_ops_i64.h"
+#include "iree/vm/test/emitc/comparison_ops.h"
+#include "iree/vm/test/emitc/comparison_ops_i64.h"
+#include "iree/vm/test/emitc/control_flow_ops.h"
+#include "iree/vm/test/emitc/conversion_ops.h"
+#include "iree/vm/test/emitc/conversion_ops_i64.h"
+#include "iree/vm/test/emitc/global_ops.h"
+#include "iree/vm/test/emitc/shift_ops.h"
+#include "iree/vm/test/emitc/shift_ops_i64.h"
 
 namespace {