diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 7a04d40b7ff..21e7662f2c5 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -459,12 +459,12 @@ Note: different registries might expect different formats for the "repository."
 Generated private keys are stored in PEM format.
 The keys encrypted under a password using scrypt as a KDF and nacl/secretbox for encryption.
 
-They have a PEM header of `ENCRYPTED COSIGN PRIVATE KEY`:
+They have a PEM header of `ENCRYPTED SIGSTORE PRIVATE KEY`:
 
 ```shell
------BEGIN ENCRYPTED COSIGN PRIVATE KEY-----
+-----BEGIN ENCRYPTED SIGSTORE PRIVATE KEY-----
 ...
------END ENCRYPTED COSIGN PRIVATE KEY-----
+-----END ENCRYPTED SIGSTORE PRIVATE KEY-----
 ```
 
 Public keys are stored on disk in PEM-encoded standard PKIX format with a header of `PUBLIC KEY`.
diff --git a/pkg/cosign/keys.go b/pkg/cosign/keys.go
index 9a51e0d8c07..3ab43cae479 100644
--- a/pkg/cosign/keys.go
+++ b/pkg/cosign/keys.go
@@ -38,7 +38,8 @@ import (
 )
 
 const (
-	CosignPrivateKeyPemType = "ENCRYPTED COSIGN PRIVATE KEY"
+	CosignPrivateKeyPemType   = "ENCRYPTED COSIGN PRIVATE KEY"
+	SigstorePrivateKeyPemType = "ENCRYPTED SIGSTORE PRIVATE KEY"
 	// PEM-encoded PKCS #1 RSA private key
 	RSAPrivateKeyPemType = "RSA PRIVATE KEY"
 	// PEM-encoded ECDSA private key
@@ -134,10 +135,10 @@ func ImportKeyPair(keyPath string, pf PassFunc) (*KeysBytes, error) {
 	default:
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unsupported private key")
 	}
-	return marshalKeyPair(Keys{pk, pk.Public()}, pf)
+	return marshalKeyPair(p.Type, Keys{pk, pk.Public()}, pf)
 }
 
-func marshalKeyPair(keypair Keys, pf PassFunc) (key *KeysBytes, err error) {
+func marshalKeyPair(ptype string, keypair Keys, pf PassFunc) (key *KeysBytes, err error) {
 	x509Encoded, err := x509.MarshalPKCS8PrivateKey(keypair.private)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("x509 encoding private key: %w", err)
@@ -156,10 +157,15 @@ func marshalKeyPair(keypair Keys, pf PassFunc) (key *KeysBytes, err error) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
+	// default to SIGSTORE, but keep support of COSIGN
+	if ptype != CosignPrivateKeyPemType {
+		ptype = SigstorePrivateKeyPemType
+	}
+
 	// store in PEM format
 	privBytes := pem.EncodeToMemory(&pem.Block{
 		Bytes: encBytes,
-		Type:  CosignPrivateKeyPemType,
+		Type:  ptype,
 	})
 
 	// Now do the public key
@@ -182,7 +188,8 @@ func GenerateKeyPair(pf PassFunc) (*KeysBytes, error) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	return marshalKeyPair(Keys{priv, priv.Public()}, pf)
+	// Emit SIGSTORE keys by default
+	return marshalKeyPair(SigstorePrivateKeyPemType, Keys{priv, priv.Public()}, pf)
 }
 
 // TODO(jason): Move this to an internal package.
@@ -205,7 +212,7 @@ func LoadPrivateKey(key []byte, pass []byte) (signature.SignerVerifier, error) {
 	if p == nil {
 		return nil, errors.New("invalid pem block")
 	}
-	if p.Type != CosignPrivateKeyPemType {
+	if p.Type != CosignPrivateKeyPemType && p.Type != SigstorePrivateKeyPemType {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unsupported pem type: %s", p.Type)
 	}
 
diff --git a/pkg/cosign/keys_test.go b/pkg/cosign/keys_test.go
index e8586cbf0b3..ab031d238c3 100644
--- a/pkg/cosign/keys_test.go
+++ b/pkg/cosign/keys_test.go
@@ -257,6 +257,32 @@ const ed25519key = `-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----
 MC4CAQAwBQYDK2VwBCIEIALEbo1EFnWFqBK/wC+hhypG/8hXEerwdNetAoFoFVdv
 -----END PRIVATE KEY-----`
 
+// COSIGN labeled key
+const pemcosignkey = `-----BEGIN ENCRYPTED COSIGN PRIVATE KEY-----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+-----END ENCRYPTED COSIGN PRIVATE KEY-----`
+
+// SIGSTORE labeled key
+const pemsigstorekey = `-----BEGIN ENCRYPTED SIGSTORE PRIVATE KEY-----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+-----END ENCRYPTED SIGSTORE PRIVATE KEY-----`
+
 func pass(s string) PassFunc {
 	return func(_ bool) ([]byte, error) {
 		return []byte(s), nil
@@ -290,6 +316,41 @@ func TestLoadECDSAPrivateKey(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestReadingPrivatePemTypes(t *testing.T) {
+	testCases := []struct {
+		pemType  string
+		pemData  []byte
+		expected error
+	}{
+		{
+			pemType:  "COSIGN PEM Type",
+			pemData:  []byte(pemcosignkey),
+			expected: nil,
+		},
+		{
+			pemType:  "SISTORE PEM Type",
+			pemData:  []byte(pemsigstorekey),
+			expected: nil,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range testCases {
+		t.Run(tc.pemType, func(t *testing.T) {
+			_, err := LoadPrivateKey(tc.pemData, []byte("hello"))
+			require.Equal(t, tc.expected, err)
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestWritingPrivatePemTypes(t *testing.T) {
+	keys, err := GenerateKeyPair(pass("hello"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	require.Contains(t, string(keys.PrivateBytes), SigstorePrivateKeyPemType)
+}
+
 func TestImportPrivateKey(t *testing.T) {
 	testCases := []struct {
 		fileName string