diff --git a/packages/core/src/tracing/spanstatus.ts b/packages/core/src/tracing/spanstatus.ts
index 6d353ae6a326..176e201178de 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/tracing/spanstatus.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/tracing/spanstatus.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ export const SPAN_STATUS_ERROR = 2;
  * Converts a HTTP status code into a sentry status with a message.
  *
  * @param httpStatus The HTTP response status code.
- * @returns The span status or unknown_error.
+ * @returns The span status or internal_error.
  */
 // https://develop.sentry.dev/sdk/event-payloads/span/
 export function getSpanStatusFromHttpCode(httpStatus: number): SpanStatus {
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ export function getSpanStatusFromHttpCode(httpStatus: number): SpanStatus {
     }
   }
 
-  return { code: SPAN_STATUS_ERROR, message: 'unknown_error' };
+  return { code: SPAN_STATUS_ERROR, message: 'internal_error' };
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/packages/core/src/utils/anthropic-ai/index.ts b/packages/core/src/utils/anthropic-ai/index.ts
index 8e77dd76b34e..0a977559ca0e 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/utils/anthropic-ai/index.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/utils/anthropic-ai/index.ts
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ function addPrivateRequestAttributes(span: Span, params: Record<string, unknown>
  */
 function handleResponseError(span: Span, response: AnthropicAiResponse): void {
   if (response.error) {
-    span.setStatus({ code: SPAN_STATUS_ERROR, message: response.error.type || 'unknown_error' });
+    span.setStatus({ code: SPAN_STATUS_ERROR, message: response.error.type || 'internal_error' });
 
     captureException(response.error, {
       mechanism: {
diff --git a/packages/core/src/utils/anthropic-ai/streaming.ts b/packages/core/src/utils/anthropic-ai/streaming.ts
index b542cbfda75a..86f5c25baa8a 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/utils/anthropic-ai/streaming.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/utils/anthropic-ai/streaming.ts
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ function isErrorEvent(event: AnthropicAiStreamingEvent, span: Span): boolean {
     // If the event is an error, set the span status and capture the error
     // These error events are not rejected by the API by default, but are sent as metadata of the response
     if (event.type === 'error') {
-      span.setStatus({ code: SPAN_STATUS_ERROR, message: event.error?.type ?? 'unknown_error' });
+      span.setStatus({ code: SPAN_STATUS_ERROR, message: event.error?.type ?? 'internal_error' });
       captureException(event.error, {
         mechanism: {
           handled: false,
diff --git a/packages/core/src/utils/spanUtils.ts b/packages/core/src/utils/spanUtils.ts
index 6e7c62c7631a..d7c261ecd73c 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/utils/spanUtils.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/utils/spanUtils.ts
@@ -234,7 +234,7 @@ export function getStatusMessage(status: SpanStatus | undefined): string | undef
     return 'ok';
   }
 
-  return status.message || 'unknown_error';
+  return status.message || 'internal_error';
 }
 
 const CHILD_SPANS_FIELD = '_sentryChildSpans';
diff --git a/packages/core/test/lib/tracing/spanstatus.test.ts b/packages/core/test/lib/tracing/spanstatus.test.ts
index ee6bfd59443f..109c97d567a9 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/lib/tracing/spanstatus.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/test/lib/tracing/spanstatus.test.ts
@@ -27,14 +27,14 @@ describe('setHttpStatus', () => {
     expect(data).toMatchObject({ 'http.response.status_code': code });
   });
 
-  it("doesn't set the status for an unknown http status code", () => {
+  it('defaults to internal_error', () => {
     const span = new SentrySpan({ name: 'test' });
 
     setHttpStatus(span, 600);
 
     const { status: spanStatus, data } = spanToJSON(span);
 
-    expect(spanStatus).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(spanStatus).toBe('internal_error');
     expect(data).toMatchObject({ 'http.response.status_code': 600 });
   });
 });
diff --git a/packages/node/src/integrations/tracing/postgresjs.ts b/packages/node/src/integrations/tracing/postgresjs.ts
index 1a0eae973bc6..438a63c804c6 100644
--- a/packages/node/src/integrations/tracing/postgresjs.ts
+++ b/packages/node/src/integrations/tracing/postgresjs.ts
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ export class PostgresJsInstrumentation extends InstrumentationBase<PostgresJsIns
           code: SPAN_STATUS_ERROR,
           // This message is the error message from the rejectArgs, when available
           // e.g "relation 'User' does not exist"
-          message: rejectArgs?.[0]?.message || 'unknown_error',
+          message: rejectArgs?.[0]?.message || 'internal_error',
         });
 
         const result = Reflect.apply(rejectTarget, rejectThisArg, rejectArgs);