diff --git a/atom/browser/api/atom_api_web_contents.cc b/atom/browser/api/atom_api_web_contents.cc
index db561708086e..bd48cac01579 100644
--- a/atom/browser/api/atom_api_web_contents.cc
+++ b/atom/browser/api/atom_api_web_contents.cc
@@ -326,10 +326,12 @@ bool WebContents::ShouldCreateWebContents(
     const GURL& target_url,
     const std::string& partition_id,
     content::SessionStorageNamespace* session_storage_namespace) {
+  auto disposition = (window_container_type == WINDOW_CONTAINER_TYPE_BACKGROUND)
+      ? "background-tab" : "new-window";
   if (type_ == BROWSER_WINDOW)
-    Emit("-new-window", target_url, frame_name, NEW_FOREGROUND_TAB);
+    Emit("-new-window", target_url, frame_name, disposition);
   else
-    Emit("new-window", target_url, frame_name, NEW_FOREGROUND_TAB);
+    Emit("new-window", target_url, frame_name, disposition);
   return false;
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/browser/api/browser-window.js b/lib/browser/api/browser-window.js
index 7bbf898dafb6..33aea5da4d0c 100644
--- a/lib/browser/api/browser-window.js
+++ b/lib/browser/api/browser-window.js
@@ -21,14 +21,14 @@ BrowserWindow.prototype._init = function () {
   }
 
   // Make new windows requested by links behave like "window.open"
-  this.webContents.on('-new-window', (event, url, frameName) => {
+  this.webContents.on('-new-window', (event, url, frameName, disposition) => {
     var options
     options = {
       show: true,
       width: 800,
       height: 600
     }
-    return ipcMain.emit('ATOM_SHELL_GUEST_WINDOW_MANAGER_WINDOW_OPEN', event, url, frameName, options)
+    return ipcMain.emit('ATOM_SHELL_GUEST_WINDOW_MANAGER_WINDOW_OPEN', event, url, frameName, disposition, options)
   })
 
   // window.resizeTo(...)
diff --git a/lib/browser/guest-window-manager.js b/lib/browser/guest-window-manager.js
index bc88337eb062..0426ea51583e 100644
--- a/lib/browser/guest-window-manager.js
+++ b/lib/browser/guest-window-manager.js
@@ -80,9 +80,9 @@ var createGuest = function (embedder, url, frameName, options) {
 }
 
 // Routed window.open messages.
-ipcMain.on('ATOM_SHELL_GUEST_WINDOW_MANAGER_WINDOW_OPEN', function (event, url, frameName, options) {
+ipcMain.on('ATOM_SHELL_GUEST_WINDOW_MANAGER_WINDOW_OPEN', function (event, url, frameName, disposition, options) {
   options = mergeBrowserWindowOptions(event.sender, options)
-  event.sender.emit('new-window', event, url, frameName, 'new-window', options)
+  event.sender.emit('new-window', event, url, frameName, disposition, options)
   if ((event.sender.isGuest() && !event.sender.allowPopups) || event.defaultPrevented) {
     event.returnValue = null
   } else {
diff --git a/lib/renderer/override.js b/lib/renderer/override.js
index 07f02566bccc..20c993d0bc5b 100644
--- a/lib/renderer/override.js
+++ b/lib/renderer/override.js
@@ -100,6 +100,7 @@ window.open = function (url, frameName, features) {
   // TODO remove hyphenated options in both of the following arrays for 1.0
   const ints = ['x', 'y', 'width', 'height', 'min-width', 'minWidth', 'max-width', 'maxWidth', 'min-height', 'minHeight', 'max-height', 'maxHeight', 'zoom-factor', 'zoomFactor']
   const webPreferences = ['zoom-factor', 'zoomFactor', 'node-integration', 'nodeIntegration', 'preload']
+  const disposition = 'new-window'
 
   // Make sure to get rid of excessive whitespace in the property name
   ref1 = features.split(/,\s*/)
@@ -146,7 +147,7 @@ window.open = function (url, frameName, features) {
       options[name] = parseInt(options[name], 10)
     }
   }
-  guestId = ipcRenderer.sendSync('ATOM_SHELL_GUEST_WINDOW_MANAGER_WINDOW_OPEN', url, frameName, options)
+  guestId = ipcRenderer.sendSync('ATOM_SHELL_GUEST_WINDOW_MANAGER_WINDOW_OPEN', url, frameName, disposition, options)
   if (guestId) {
     return BrowserWindowProxy.getOrCreate(guestId)
   } else {