diff --git a/changelog.d/2544.breaking.rst b/changelog.d/2544.breaking.rst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..169c41b95e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/2544.breaking.rst
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Removed 'easy_install' top-level model (runpy entry point) and 'easy_install' console script.
diff --git a/easy_install.py b/easy_install.py
deleted file mode 100644
index d87e984034..0000000000
--- a/easy_install.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,5 +0,0 @@
-"""Run the EasyInstall command"""
-
-if __name__ == '__main__':
-    from setuptools.command.easy_install import main
-    main()
diff --git a/setup.cfg b/setup.cfg
index 36c7daeebc..006851daac 100644
--- a/setup.cfg
+++ b/setup.cfg
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ project_urls =
 
 [options]
 packages = find_namespace:
-py_modules = easy_install
 # disabled as it causes tests to be included #2505
 # include_package_data = true
 python_requires = >=3.6
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 3d84c65ac4..31eda0fbb0 100755
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -30,22 +30,6 @@ def read_commands():
     return command_ns['__all__']
 
 
-def _gen_console_scripts():
-    yield "easy_install = setuptools.command.easy_install:main"
-
-    # Gentoo distributions manage the python-version-specific scripts
-    # themselves, so those platforms define an environment variable to
-    # suppress the creation of the version-specific scripts.
-    var_names = (
-        'SETUPTOOLS_DISABLE_VERSIONED_EASY_INSTALL_SCRIPT',
-        'DISTRIBUTE_DISABLE_VERSIONED_EASY_INSTALL_SCRIPT',
-    )
-    if any(os.environ.get(var) not in (None, "", "0") for var in var_names):
-        return
-    tmpl = "easy_install-{shortver} = setuptools.command.easy_install:main"
-    yield tmpl.format(shortver='{}.{}'.format(*sys.version_info))
-
-
 package_data = dict(
     setuptools=['script (dev).tmpl', 'script.tmpl', 'site-patch.py'],
 )
@@ -170,7 +154,6 @@ def _restore_install_lib(self):
             "depends.txt = setuptools.command.egg_info:warn_depends_obsolete",
             "dependency_links.txt = setuptools.command.egg_info:overwrite_arg",
         ],
-        "console_scripts": list(_gen_console_scripts()),
     },
     dependency_links=[
         pypi_link(
diff --git a/setuptools/command/easy_install.py b/setuptools/command/easy_install.py
index 544e8fd444..eeb21b5083 100644
--- a/setuptools/command/easy_install.py
+++ b/setuptools/command/easy_install.py
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@
 
 __all__ = [
     'samefile', 'easy_install', 'PthDistributions', 'extract_wininst_cfg',
-    'main', 'get_exe_prefixes',
+    'get_exe_prefixes',
 ]
 
 
@@ -2284,50 +2284,6 @@ def current_umask():
     return tmp
 
 
-def main(argv=None, **kw):
-    from setuptools import setup
-    from setuptools.dist import Distribution
-
-    class DistributionWithoutHelpCommands(Distribution):
-        common_usage = ""
-
-        def _show_help(self, *args, **kw):
-            with _patch_usage():
-                Distribution._show_help(self, *args, **kw)
-
-    if argv is None:
-        argv = sys.argv[1:]
-
-    with _patch_usage():
-        setup(
-            script_args=['-q', 'easy_install', '-v'] + argv,
-            script_name=sys.argv[0] or 'easy_install',
-            distclass=DistributionWithoutHelpCommands,
-            **kw
-        )
-
-
-@contextlib.contextmanager
-def _patch_usage():
-    import distutils.core
-    USAGE = textwrap.dedent("""
-        usage: %(script)s [options] requirement_or_url ...
-           or: %(script)s --help
-        """).lstrip()
-
-    def gen_usage(script_name):
-        return USAGE % dict(
-            script=os.path.basename(script_name),
-        )
-
-    saved = distutils.core.gen_usage
-    distutils.core.gen_usage = gen_usage
-    try:
-        yield
-    finally:
-        distutils.core.gen_usage = saved
-
-
 class EasyInstallDeprecationWarning(SetuptoolsDeprecationWarning):
     """
     Warning for EasyInstall deprecations, bypassing suppression.
diff --git a/setuptools/tests/test_easy_install.py b/setuptools/tests/test_easy_install.py
index 3340a59c24..66598066d7 100644
--- a/setuptools/tests/test_easy_install.py
+++ b/setuptools/tests/test_easy_install.py
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 import mock
 import time
 import re
+import subprocess
 
 import pytest
 
@@ -25,7 +26,6 @@
     EasyInstallDeprecationWarning, ScriptWriter, PthDistributions,
     WindowsScriptWriter,
 )
-from setuptools.command import easy_install as easy_install_pkg
 from setuptools.dist import Distribution
 from pkg_resources import normalize_path, working_set
 from pkg_resources import Distribution as PRDistribution
@@ -461,17 +461,16 @@ def test_setup_requires_honors_fetch_params(self, mock_index, monkeypatch):
             with TestSetupRequires.create_sdist() as dist_file:
                 with contexts.tempdir() as temp_install_dir:
                     with contexts.environment(PYTHONPATH=temp_install_dir):
-                        ei_params = [
+                        cmd = [
+                            sys.executable,
+                            '-m', 'setup',
+                            'easy_install',
                             '--index-url', mock_index.url,
                             '--exclude-scripts',
                             '--install-dir', temp_install_dir,
                             dist_file,
                         ]
-                        with sandbox.save_argv(['easy_install']):
-                            # attempt to install the dist. It should
-                            # fail because it doesn't exist.
-                            with pytest.raises(SystemExit):
-                                easy_install_pkg.main(ei_params)
+                        subprocess.Popen(cmd).wait()
         # there should have been one requests to the server
         assert [r.path for r in mock_index.requests] == ['/does-not-exist/']
 
diff --git a/setuptools/tests/test_namespaces.py b/setuptools/tests/test_namespaces.py
index 6c8c522dc0..270f90c98b 100644
--- a/setuptools/tests/test_namespaces.py
+++ b/setuptools/tests/test_namespaces.py
@@ -62,8 +62,9 @@ def test_pkg_resources_import(self, tmpdir):
         target.mkdir()
         install_cmd = [
             sys.executable,
-            '-m', 'easy_install',
-            '-d', str(target),
+            '-m', 'pip',
+            'install',
+            '-t', str(target),
             str(pkg),
         ]
         with test.test.paths_on_pythonpath([str(target)]):