diff --git a/integration/client/client.go b/integration/client/client.go
index 558c5d6c47077..114c99f27929f 100644
--- a/integration/client/client.go
+++ b/integration/client/client.go
@@ -110,27 +110,22 @@ func formatTS(ts time.Time) string {
 
 type stream struct {
 	Stream map[string]string `json:"stream"`
-	Values [][]string        `json:"values"`
+	Values [][]any           `json:"values"`
 }
 
 // pushLogLine creates a new logline
 func (c *Client) pushLogLine(line string, timestamp time.Time, logLabels labels.Labels, extraLabelList ...map[string]string) error {
 	apiEndpoint := fmt.Sprintf("%s/loki/api/v1/push", c.baseURL)
 
-	logLabelsJSON, err := logLabels.MarshalJSON()
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
 	s := stream{
 		Stream: map[string]string{
 			"job": "varlog",
 		},
-		Values: [][]string{
+		Values: [][]any{
 			{
 				formatTS(timestamp),
 				line,
-				string(logLabelsJSON),
+				logLabels,
 			},
 		},
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/loghttp/query.go b/pkg/loghttp/query.go
index af8ebbe9689fc..ddc66193138f4 100644
--- a/pkg/loghttp/query.go
+++ b/pkg/loghttp/query.go
@@ -55,9 +55,122 @@ func (q *QueryResponse) UnmarshalJSON(data []byte) error {
 	})
 }
 
-// PushRequest models a log stream push
+// PushRequest models a log stream push but is unmarshalled to proto push format.
 type PushRequest struct {
-	Streams []*Stream `json:"streams"`
+	Streams []LogProtoStream `json:"streams"`
+}
+
+// LogProtoStream helps with unmarshalling of each log stream for push request.
+// This might look un-necessary but without it the CPU usage in benchmarks was increasing by ~25% :shrug:
+type LogProtoStream struct {
+	logproto.Stream
+}
+
+func (s *LogProtoStream) UnmarshalJSON(data []byte) error {
+	err := jsonparser.ObjectEach(data, func(key, val []byte, ty jsonparser.ValueType, _ int) error {
+		switch string(key) {
+		case "stream":
+			labels := make(LabelSet)
+			err := jsonparser.ObjectEach(val, func(key, val []byte, _ jsonparser.ValueType, _ int) error {
+				labels[yoloString(key)] = yoloString(val)
+				return nil
+			})
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			s.Labels = labels.String()
+		case "values":
+			if ty == jsonparser.Null {
+				return nil
+			}
+			entries, err := unmarshalHTTPToLogProtoEntries(val)
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			s.Entries = entries
+		}
+		return nil
+	})
+	return err
+}
+
+func unmarshalHTTPToLogProtoEntries(data []byte) ([]logproto.Entry, error) {
+	var (
+		entries    []logproto.Entry
+		parseError error
+	)
+	_, err := jsonparser.ArrayEach(data, func(value []byte, ty jsonparser.ValueType, _ int, err error) {
+		if err != nil || parseError != nil {
+			return
+		}
+		if ty == jsonparser.Null {
+			return
+		}
+		e, err := unmarshalHTTPToLogProtoEntry(value)
+		if err != nil {
+			parseError = err
+			return
+		}
+		entries = append(entries, e)
+	})
+	if parseError != nil {
+		return nil, parseError
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, parseError
+	}
+
+	return entries, nil
+}
+
+func unmarshalHTTPToLogProtoEntry(data []byte) (logproto.Entry, error) {
+	var (
+		i          int
+		parseError error
+		e          logproto.Entry
+	)
+	_, err := jsonparser.ArrayEach(data, func(value []byte, t jsonparser.ValueType, _ int, _ error) {
+		// assert that both items in array are of type string
+		if (i == 0 || i == 1) && t != jsonparser.String {
+			parseError = jsonparser.MalformedStringError
+			return
+		} else if i == 2 && t != jsonparser.Object {
+			parseError = jsonparser.MalformedObjectError
+			return
+		}
+		switch i {
+		case 0: // timestamp
+			ts, err := jsonparser.ParseInt(value)
+			if err != nil {
+				parseError = err
+				return
+			}
+			e.Timestamp = time.Unix(0, ts)
+		case 1: // value
+			v, err := jsonparser.ParseString(value)
+			if err != nil {
+				parseError = err
+				return
+			}
+			e.Line = v
+		case 2: // labels
+			labels := make(LabelSet)
+			err := jsonparser.ObjectEach(value, func(key, val []byte, _ jsonparser.ValueType, _ int) error {
+				labels[yoloString(key)] = yoloString(val)
+				return nil
+			})
+			if err != nil {
+				parseError = err
+				return
+			}
+			e.Labels = labels.String()
+		}
+		i++
+	})
+	if parseError != nil {
+		return e, parseError
+	}
+	return e, err
 }
 
 // ResultType holds the type of the result
@@ -377,3 +490,7 @@ func labelVolumeLimit(r *http.Request) error {
 
 	return nil
 }
+
+func yoloString(buf []byte) string {
+	return *((*string)(unsafe.Pointer(&buf)))
+}
diff --git a/pkg/util/unmarshal/unmarshal.go b/pkg/util/unmarshal/unmarshal.go
index 3250b5a06c2e4..51e7d1108d9d9 100644
--- a/pkg/util/unmarshal/unmarshal.go
+++ b/pkg/util/unmarshal/unmarshal.go
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package unmarshal
 
 import (
 	"io"
-	"reflect"
 	"unsafe"
 
 	jsoniter "github.com/json-iterator/go"
@@ -19,57 +18,13 @@ func DecodePushRequest(b io.Reader, r *logproto.PushRequest) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	req, err := NewPushRequest(request)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
+	*r = logproto.PushRequest{
+		Streams: *(*[]logproto.Stream)(unsafe.Pointer(&request.Streams)),
 	}
-	*r = *req
 
 	return nil
 }
 
-// NewPushRequest constructs a logproto.PushRequest from a PushRequest
-func NewPushRequest(r loghttp.PushRequest) (*logproto.PushRequest, error) {
-	ret := logproto.PushRequest{
-		Streams: make([]logproto.Stream, len(r.Streams)),
-	}
-
-	for i, s := range r.Streams {
-		stream, err := NewStream(s)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
-
-		ret.Streams[i] = *stream
-	}
-
-	return &ret, nil
-}
-
-// NewStream constructs a logproto.Stream from a Stream
-func NewStream(s *loghttp.Stream) (*logproto.Stream, error) {
-	stream := logproto.Stream{
-		Entries: *(*[]logproto.Entry)(unsafe.Pointer(&s.Entries)),
-		Labels:  s.Labels.String(),
-	}
-
-	for i, entry := range stream.Entries {
-		if entry.Labels == "" {
-			continue
-		}
-		// labels in v1 HTTP push endpoint are in json format({"foo":"bar"}) while for proto it is key=value format({foo="bar"})
-		// So here we need to convert metadata labels from json to proto format.
-		// ToDo(Sandeep): Find a way to either not do the conversion or efficiently do it since
-		// metadata labels can be attached to each log line.
-		labels := loghttp.LabelSet{}
-		if err := labels.UnmarshalJSON(yoloBytes(entry.Labels)); err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
-		stream.Entries[i].Labels = labels.String()
-	}
-	return &stream, nil
-}
-
 // WebsocketReader knows how to read message to a websocket connection.
 type WebsocketReader interface {
 	ReadMessage() (int, []byte, error)
@@ -83,9 +38,3 @@ func ReadTailResponseJSON(r *loghttp.TailResponse, reader WebsocketReader) error
 	}
 	return jsoniter.Unmarshal(data, r)
 }
-
-func yoloBytes(s string) (b []byte) {
-	*(*string)(unsafe.Pointer(&b)) = s
-	(*reflect.SliceHeader)(unsafe.Pointer(&b)).Cap = len(s)
-	return
-}
diff --git a/pkg/util/unmarshal/unmarshal_test.go b/pkg/util/unmarshal/unmarshal_test.go
index 51e515e0d1df0..da8f8640f4d46 100644
--- a/pkg/util/unmarshal/unmarshal_test.go
+++ b/pkg/util/unmarshal/unmarshal_test.go
@@ -45,6 +45,32 @@ var pushTests = []struct {
 			]
 		}`,
 	},
+	{
+		[]logproto.Stream{
+			{
+				Entries: []logproto.Entry{
+					{
+						Timestamp: time.Unix(0, 123456789012345),
+						Line:      "super line",
+						Labels:    `{foo="bar"}`,
+					},
+				},
+				Labels: `{test="test"}`,
+			},
+		},
+		`{
+			"streams": [
+				{
+					"stream": {
+						"test": "test"
+					},
+					"values":[
+						[ "123456789012345", "super line", {"foo":"bar"} ]
+					]
+				}
+			]
+		}`,
+	},
 }
 
 func Test_DecodePushRequest(t *testing.T) {