diff --git a/crates/install-wheel-rs/src/metadata.rs b/crates/install-wheel-rs/src/metadata.rs
index 5129ad097a54..383fea2207de 100644
--- a/crates/install-wheel-rs/src/metadata.rs
+++ b/crates/install-wheel-rs/src/metadata.rs
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ use zip::ZipArchive;
 
 use distribution_filename::WheelFilename;
 use pep440_rs::Version;
-use uv_normalize::PackageName;
+use uv_normalize::DistInfoName;
 
 use crate::Error;
 
@@ -50,16 +50,19 @@ pub fn find_archive_dist_info<'a, T: Copy>(
 
     // Like `pip`, validate that the `.dist-info` directory is prefixed with the canonical
     // package name, but only warn if the version is not the normalized version.
-    let Some((name, version)) = dist_info_prefix.rsplit_once('-') else {
-        return Err(Error::MissingDistInfoSegments(dist_info_prefix.to_string()));
-    };
-    if PackageName::from_str(name)? != filename.name {
+    let normalized_prefix = DistInfoName::new(dist_info_prefix);
+    let Some(rest) = normalized_prefix
+        .as_ref()
+        .strip_prefix(filename.name.as_str())
+    else {
         return Err(Error::MissingDistInfoPackageName(
             dist_info_prefix.to_string(),
             filename.name.to_string(),
         ));
-    }
-    if !Version::from_str(version).is_ok_and(|version| version == filename.version) {
+    };
+    if !rest.strip_prefix('-').is_some_and(|version| {
+        Version::from_str(version).is_ok_and(|version| version == filename.version)
+    }) {
         warn!(
             "{}",
             Error::MissingDistInfoVersion(
@@ -87,16 +90,19 @@ pub fn is_metadata_entry(path: &str, filename: &WheelFilename) -> Result<bool, E
 
     // Like `pip`, validate that the `.dist-info` directory is prefixed with the canonical
     // package name, but only warn if the version is not the normalized version.
-    let Some((name, version)) = dist_info_prefix.rsplit_once('-') else {
-        return Err(Error::MissingDistInfoSegments(dist_info_prefix.to_string()));
-    };
-    if PackageName::from_str(name)? != filename.name {
+    let normalized_prefix = DistInfoName::new(dist_info_prefix);
+    let Some(rest) = normalized_prefix
+        .as_ref()
+        .strip_prefix(filename.name.as_str())
+    else {
         return Err(Error::MissingDistInfoPackageName(
             dist_info_prefix.to_string(),
             filename.name.to_string(),
         ));
-    }
-    if !Version::from_str(version).is_ok_and(|version| version == filename.version) {
+    };
+    if !rest.strip_prefix('-').is_some_and(|version| {
+        Version::from_str(version).is_ok_and(|version| version == filename.version)
+    }) {
         warn!(
             "{}",
             Error::MissingDistInfoVersion(
@@ -160,16 +166,19 @@ pub fn find_flat_dist_info(
 
     // Like `pip`, validate that the `.dist-info` directory is prefixed with the canonical
     // package name, but only warn if the version is not the normalized version.
-    let Some((name, version)) = dist_info_prefix.rsplit_once('-') else {
-        return Err(Error::MissingDistInfoSegments(dist_info_prefix.to_string()));
-    };
-    if PackageName::from_str(name)? != filename.name {
+    let normalized_prefix = DistInfoName::new(&dist_info_prefix);
+    let Some(rest) = normalized_prefix
+        .as_ref()
+        .strip_prefix(filename.name.as_str())
+    else {
         return Err(Error::MissingDistInfoPackageName(
             dist_info_prefix.to_string(),
             filename.name.to_string(),
         ));
-    }
-    if !Version::from_str(version).is_ok_and(|version| version == filename.version) {
+    };
+    if !rest.strip_prefix('-').is_some_and(|version| {
+        Version::from_str(version).is_ok_and(|version| version == filename.version)
+    }) {
         warn!(
             "{}",
             Error::MissingDistInfoVersion(
diff --git a/crates/uv-normalize/src/dist_info_name.rs b/crates/uv-normalize/src/dist_info_name.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..15969ae1fe50
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/uv-normalize/src/dist_info_name.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+use std::borrow::Cow;
+use std::fmt;
+use std::fmt::{Display, Formatter};
+
+/// The normalized name of a `.dist-info` directory.
+///
+/// Like [`PackageName`](crate::PackageName), but without restrictions on the set of allowed
+/// characters, etc.
+///
+/// See: <https://github.com/pypa/pip/blob/111eed14b6e9fba7c78a5ec2b7594812d17b5d2b/src/pip/_vendor/packaging/utils.py#L45>
+#[derive(Debug, Default, Clone, PartialEq, Eq, Hash, PartialOrd, Ord)]
+pub struct DistInfoName<'a>(Cow<'a, str>);
+
+impl<'a> DistInfoName<'a> {
+    /// Create a validated, normalized extra name.
+    pub fn new(name: &'a str) -> Self {
+        if Self::is_normalized(name) {
+            Self(Cow::Borrowed(name))
+        } else {
+            Self(Cow::Owned(Self::normalize(name)))
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Normalize a `.dist-info` name, converting it to lowercase and collapsing runs
+    /// of `-`, `_`, and `.` down to a single `-`.
+    fn normalize(name: impl AsRef<str>) -> String {
+        let mut normalized = String::with_capacity(name.as_ref().len());
+        let mut last = None;
+        for char in name.as_ref().bytes() {
+            match char {
+                b'A'..=b'Z' => {
+                    normalized.push(char.to_ascii_lowercase() as char);
+                }
+                b'-' | b'_' | b'.' => {
+                    if matches!(last, Some(b'-' | b'_' | b'.')) {
+                        continue;
+                    }
+                    normalized.push('-');
+                }
+                _ => {
+                    normalized.push(char as char);
+                }
+            }
+            last = Some(char);
+        }
+        normalized
+    }
+
+    /// Returns `true` if the name is already normalized.
+    fn is_normalized(name: impl AsRef<str>) -> bool {
+        let mut last = None;
+        for char in name.as_ref().bytes() {
+            match char {
+                b'A'..=b'Z' => {
+                    // Uppercase characters need to be converted to lowercase.
+                    return false;
+                }
+                b'_' | b'.' => {
+                    // `_` and `.` are normalized to `-`.
+                    return false;
+                }
+                b'-' => {
+                    if matches!(last, Some(b'-')) {
+                        // Runs of `-` are normalized to a single `-`.
+                        return false;
+                    }
+                }
+                _ => {}
+            }
+            last = Some(char);
+        }
+        true
+    }
+}
+
+impl Display for DistInfoName<'_> {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut Formatter<'_>) -> fmt::Result {
+        self.0.fmt(f)
+    }
+}
+
+impl AsRef<str> for DistInfoName<'_> {
+    fn as_ref(&self) -> &str {
+        &self.0
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn normalize() {
+        let inputs = [
+            "friendly-bard",
+            "Friendly-Bard",
+            "FRIENDLY-BARD",
+            "friendly.bard",
+            "friendly_bard",
+            "friendly--bard",
+            "friendly-.bard",
+            "FrIeNdLy-._.-bArD",
+        ];
+        for input in inputs {
+            assert_eq!(DistInfoName::normalize(input), "friendly-bard");
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/crates/uv-normalize/src/lib.rs b/crates/uv-normalize/src/lib.rs
index 38fdb5d51a6e..0360a5a1a161 100644
--- a/crates/uv-normalize/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/uv-normalize/src/lib.rs
@@ -1,10 +1,12 @@
 use std::error::Error;
 use std::fmt::{Display, Formatter};
 
+pub use dist_info_name::DistInfoName;
 pub use extra_name::ExtraName;
 pub use group_name::{GroupName, DEV_DEPENDENCIES};
 pub use package_name::PackageName;
 
+mod dist_info_name;
 mod extra_name;
 mod group_name;
 mod package_name;
@@ -22,10 +24,11 @@ pub(crate) fn validate_and_normalize_owned(name: String) -> Result<String, Inval
 pub(crate) fn validate_and_normalize_ref(
     name: impl AsRef<str>,
 ) -> Result<String, InvalidNameError> {
-    let mut normalized = String::with_capacity(name.as_ref().len());
+    let name = name.as_ref();
+    let mut normalized = String::with_capacity(name.len());
 
     let mut last = None;
-    for char in name.as_ref().bytes() {
+    for char in name.bytes() {
         match char {
             b'A'..=b'Z' => {
                 normalized.push(char.to_ascii_lowercase() as char);
@@ -36,19 +39,19 @@ pub(crate) fn validate_and_normalize_ref(
             b'-' | b'_' | b'.' => {
                 match last {
                     // Names can't start with punctuation.
-                    None => return Err(InvalidNameError(name.as_ref().to_string())),
+                    None => return Err(InvalidNameError(name.to_string())),
                     Some(b'-' | b'_' | b'.') => {}
                     Some(_) => normalized.push('-'),
                 }
             }
-            _ => return Err(InvalidNameError(name.as_ref().to_string())),
+            _ => return Err(InvalidNameError(name.to_string())),
         }
         last = Some(char);
     }
 
     // Names can't end with punctuation.
     if matches!(last, Some(b'-' | b'_' | b'.')) {
-        return Err(InvalidNameError(name.as_ref().to_string()));
+        return Err(InvalidNameError(name.to_string()));
     }
 
     Ok(normalized)