diff --git a/dvc/command/plots.py b/dvc/command/plots.py
index 27ffd16f2..1c3be8300 100644
--- a/dvc/command/plots.py
+++ b/dvc/command/plots.py
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ class CmdPlots(CmdBase):
             logger.info(f"file://{path}")
 
         except DvcException:
-            logger.exception("")
+            logger.exception("failed to show plots")
             return 1
 
         return 0
diff --git a/dvc/exceptions.py b/dvc/exceptions.py
index 17b4a87ed..1a4a44f99 100644
--- a/dvc/exceptions.py
+++ b/dvc/exceptions.py
@@ -174,11 +174,20 @@ class NoMetricsError(DvcException):
     pass
 
 
-class NoPlotsError(DvcException):
-    def __init__(self):
+class NoMetricsParsedError(NoMetricsError):
+    def __init__(self, command):
         super().__init__(
-            "no plots in this repository. Use `--plots/--plots-no-cache` "
-            "options for `dvc run` to mark stage outputs as plots."
+            f"Could not parse {command} files. Use `-v` option to see more "
+            "details."
+        )
+
+
+class NoMetricsFoundError(NoMetricsError):
+    def __init__(self, command, run_options):
+        super().__init__(
+            f"No {command} files in this repository. "
+            f"Use `{run_options}` options for "
+            f"`dvc run` to mark stage outputs as {command}."
         )
 
 
diff --git a/dvc/repo/metrics/show.py b/dvc/repo/metrics/show.py
index 28e1816c0..6a08224c4 100644
--- a/dvc/repo/metrics/show.py
+++ b/dvc/repo/metrics/show.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import logging
 
-from dvc.exceptions import NoMetricsError
+from dvc.exceptions import NoMetricsFoundError, NoMetricsParsedError
 from dvc.repo import locked
 from dvc.repo.collect import collect
 from dvc.scm.base import SCMError
@@ -104,16 +104,9 @@ def show(
 
     if not res:
         if metrics_found:
-            msg = (
-                "Could not parse metrics files. Use `-v` option to see more "
-                "details."
-            )
+            raise NoMetricsParsedError("metrics")
         else:
-            msg = (
-                "no metrics files in this repository. Use `-m/-M` options for "
-                "`dvc run` to mark stage outputs as  metrics."
-            )
-        raise NoMetricsError(msg)
+            raise NoMetricsFoundError("metrics", "-m/-M")
 
     # Hide workspace metrics if they are the same as in the active branch
     try:
diff --git a/dvc/repo/plots/__init__.py b/dvc/repo/plots/__init__.py
index 5ae87abd6..e4ad6fa39 100644
--- a/dvc/repo/plots/__init__.py
+++ b/dvc/repo/plots/__init__.py
@@ -2,8 +2,13 @@ import logging
 
 from funcy import cached_property, first, project
 
-from dvc.exceptions import DvcException, NoPlotsError
+from dvc.exceptions import (
+    DvcException,
+    NoMetricsFoundError,
+    NoMetricsParsedError,
+)
 from dvc.repo.collect import collect
+from dvc.repo.plots.data import PlotParsingError
 from dvc.schema import PLOT_PROPS
 from dvc.tree.repo import RepoTree
 from dvc.utils import relpath
@@ -71,10 +76,24 @@ class Plots:
         # Merge data by plot file and apply overriding props
         plots = _prepare_plots(data, revs, props)
 
-        return {
-            datafile: _render(datafile, desc["data"], desc["props"], templates)
-            for datafile, desc in plots.items()
-        }
+        result = {}
+        for datafile, desc in plots.items():
+            try:
+                result[datafile] = _render(
+                    datafile, desc["data"], desc["props"], templates
+                )
+            except PlotParsingError as e:
+                logger.debug(
+                    "failed to read '%s' on '%s'",
+                    e.path,
+                    e.revision,
+                    exc_info=True,
+                )
+
+        if not any(result.values()):
+            raise NoMetricsParsedError("plots")
+
+        return result
 
     def show(self, targets=None, revs=None, props=None, templates=None):
         from .data import NoMetricInHistoryError
@@ -90,7 +109,7 @@ class Plots:
 
         # No data at all is a special error with a special message
         if not data:
-            raise NoPlotsError()
+            raise NoMetricsFoundError("plots", "--plots/--plots-no-cache")
 
         if templates is None:
             templates = self.templates
diff --git a/dvc/repo/plots/data.py b/dvc/repo/plots/data.py
index a8cbc4ef5..bff7aeb3d 100644
--- a/dvc/repo/plots/data.py
+++ b/dvc/repo/plots/data.py
@@ -1,14 +1,13 @@
 import csv
 import io
-import json
 import os
 from collections import OrderedDict
 from copy import copy
 
-from funcy import first
+from funcy import first, reraise
 
 from dvc.exceptions import DvcException
-from dvc.utils.serialize import loads_yaml
+from dvc.utils.serialize import ParseError, parse_json, parse_yaml
 
 
 class PlotMetricTypeError(DvcException):
@@ -32,6 +31,14 @@ class NoMetricInHistoryError(DvcException):
         super().__init__(f"Could not find '{path}'.")
 
 
+class PlotParsingError(ParseError):
+    def __init__(self, path, revision):
+        self.path = path
+        self.revision = revision
+
+        super().__init__(path, f"revision: {revision}")
+
+
 def plot_data(filename, revision, content):
     _, extension = os.path.splitext(filename.lower())
     if extension == ".json":
@@ -159,7 +166,11 @@ class PlotData:
         return [_filter_fields, _append_index, _append_revision]
 
     def to_datapoints(self, **kwargs):
-        data = self.raw(**kwargs)
+        with reraise(
+            [ParseError, csv.Error],
+            PlotParsingError(self.filename, self.revision),
+        ):
+            data = self.raw(**kwargs)
 
         for data_proc in self._processors():
             data = data_proc(
@@ -170,7 +181,9 @@ class PlotData:
 
 class JSONPlotData(PlotData):
     def raw(self, **kwargs):
-        return json.loads(self.content, object_pairs_hook=OrderedDict)
+        return parse_json(
+            self.content, self.filename, object_pairs_hook=OrderedDict
+        )
 
     def _processors(self):
         parent_processors = super()._processors()
@@ -207,7 +220,7 @@ class CSVPlotData(PlotData):
 
 class YAMLPlotData(PlotData):
     def raw(self, **kwargs):
-        return loads_yaml(self.content, typ="rt")
+        return parse_yaml(self.content, self.filename, typ="rt")
 
     def _processors(self):
         parent_processors = super()._processors()
diff --git a/dvc/utils/serialize/_json.py b/dvc/utils/serialize/_json.py
index 3c247e85a..ad045016c 100644
--- a/dvc/utils/serialize/_json.py
+++ b/dvc/utils/serialize/_json.py
@@ -14,9 +14,9 @@ def load_json(path, tree=None):
     return _load_data(path, parser=parse_json, tree=tree)
 
 
-def parse_json(text, path):
+def parse_json(text, path, **kwargs):
     with reraise(json.JSONDecodeError, JSONFileCorruptedError(path)):
-        return json.loads(text) or {}
+        return json.loads(text, **kwargs) or {}
 
 
 def dump_json(path, data, tree=None):
diff --git a/tests/func/metrics/metrics/test_show.py b/tests/func/metrics/metrics/test_show.py
index f346b35ca..7f78f0a40 100644
--- a/tests/func/metrics/metrics/test_show.py
+++ b/tests/func/metrics/metrics/test_show.py
@@ -3,15 +3,9 @@ import os
 import pytest
 
 from dvc.repo import Repo
-from dvc.repo.metrics.show import NoMetricsError
 from dvc.utils.fs import remove
 
 
-def test_show_empty(dvc):
-    with pytest.raises(NoMetricsError):
-        dvc.metrics.show()
-
-
 def test_show_simple(tmp_dir, dvc, run_copy_metrics):
     tmp_dir.gen("metrics_t.yaml", "1.1")
     run_copy_metrics(
@@ -36,15 +30,6 @@ def test_show_multiple(tmp_dir, dvc, run_copy_metrics):
     assert dvc.metrics.show() == {"": {"foo": {"foo": 1}, "baz": {"baz": 2}}}
 
 
-def test_show_invalid_metric(tmp_dir, dvc, run_copy_metrics):
-    tmp_dir.gen("metrics_temp.yaml", "foo:\n- bar\n- baz\nxyz: string")
-    run_copy_metrics(
-        "metrics_temp.yaml", "metrics.yaml", metrics=["metrics.yaml"]
-    )
-    with pytest.raises(NoMetricsError):
-        dvc.metrics.show()
-
-
 def test_show_branch(tmp_dir, scm, dvc, run_copy_metrics):
     tmp_dir.gen("metrics_temp.yaml", "foo: 1")
     run_copy_metrics(
diff --git a/tests/func/metrics/plots/test_show.py b/tests/func/metrics/plots/test_show.py
index 1fe909eb0..544867a39 100644
--- a/tests/func/metrics/plots/test_show.py
+++ b/tests/func/metrics/plots/test_show.py
@@ -437,13 +437,6 @@ def _replace(path, src, dst):
     path.write_text(path.read_text().replace(src, dst))
 
 
-def test_no_plots(tmp_dir, dvc):
-    from dvc.exceptions import NoPlotsError
-
-    with pytest.raises(NoPlotsError):
-        dvc.plots.show()
-
-
 def test_should_raise_on_no_template(tmp_dir, dvc, run_copy_metrics):
     metric = [{"val": 2}, {"val": 3}]
     _write_json(tmp_dir, metric, "metric_t.json")
diff --git a/tests/func/metrics/test_common.py b/tests/func/metrics/test_common.py
index 31eff0e93..d0ebc3715 100644
--- a/tests/func/metrics/test_common.py
+++ b/tests/func/metrics/test_common.py
@@ -2,28 +2,57 @@ import logging
 
 import pytest
 
+from dvc.main import main
 from tests.func.metrics.utils import _write_json
 
 
-def metrics_diff(dvc, filename, revision):
-    dvc.metrics.diff(targets=[filename], a_rev=revision)
-
-
-def plots_diff(dvc, filename, revision):
-    dvc.plots.diff(targets=[filename], revs=[revision])
-
-
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(
-    "diff_fun, metric_value",
-    ((metrics_diff, {"m": 1}), (plots_diff, [{"m": 1}, {"m": 2}])),
+    "command, metric_value",
+    (("metrics", {"m": 1}), ("plots", [{"m": 1}, {"m": 2}])),
 )
 def test_diff_no_file_on_target_rev(
-    tmp_dir, scm, dvc, caplog, diff_fun, metric_value
+    tmp_dir, scm, dvc, caplog, command, metric_value
 ):
     with tmp_dir.branch("new_branch", new=True):
         _write_json(tmp_dir, metric_value, "metric.json")
 
         with caplog.at_level(logging.WARNING, "dvc"):
-            diff_fun(dvc, "metric.json", "master")
+            assert (
+                main([command, "diff", "master", "--targets", "metric.json"])
+                == 0
+            )
 
     assert "'metric.json' was not found at: 'master'." in caplog.text
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "command, malformed_metric",
+    (("metrics", '{"m": 1'), ("plots", '[{"m": 1}, {"m": 2}'),),
+)
+def test_show_malformed_metric(
+    tmp_dir, scm, dvc, caplog, command, malformed_metric
+):
+    tmp_dir.gen("metric.json", malformed_metric)
+
+    with caplog.at_level(logging.ERROR, "dvc"):
+        assert main([command, "show", "metric.json"]) == 1
+
+    assert (
+        f"Could not parse {command} files. "
+        "Use `-v` option to see more details."
+    ) in caplog.text
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "command, run_options",
+    (("metrics", "-m/-M"), ("plots", "--plots/--plots-no-cache"),),
+)
+def test_show_no_metrics_files(tmp_dir, dvc, caplog, command, run_options):
+    with caplog.at_level(logging.ERROR, "dvc"):
+        assert main([command, "show"]) == 1
+
+    assert (
+        f"No {command} files in this repository. "
+        f"Use `{run_options}` options for "
+        f"`dvc run` to mark stage outputs as {command}."
+    ) in caplog.text