diff --git a/.changeset/friendly-sockets-listen.md b/.changeset/friendly-sockets-listen.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8ac8cd14f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/friendly-sockets-listen.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@slack/socket-mode': patch
+---
+
+Fix Events API dispatch for payloads without an inner event, including app_rate_limited. Keep malformed payloads available to generic slack_event listeners for acknowledgement.
diff --git a/packages/socket-mode/src/SocketModeClient.test.ts b/packages/socket-mode/src/SocketModeClient.test.ts
index e68ff270f..eed6574b0 100644
--- a/packages/socket-mode/src/SocketModeClient.test.ts
+++ b/packages/socket-mode/src/SocketModeClient.test.ts
@@ -152,6 +152,104 @@ describe('SocketModeClient', () => {
     });
 
     describe('events_api messages', () => {
+      class TestSocketModeClient extends SocketModeClient {
+        async receive(payload: unknown): Promise<void> {
+          await this.onWebSocketMessage(JSON.stringify(payload), false);
+        }
+      }
+
+      it('should dispatch the inner event of an event_callback', async () => {
+        const client = new TestSocketModeClient({ appToken: 'xapp-' });
+        const event = { type: 'app_mention', text: '<@U111>' };
+        const body = { type: 'event_callback', event };
+        const specific = sandbox.spy();
+        const generic = sandbox.spy();
+        const callback = sandbox.spy();
+        client.on('app_mention', specific);
+        client.on('event_callback', callback);
+        client.on('slack_event', generic);
+
+        await client.receive({ type: 'events_api', payload: body, envelope_id: 'inner-event' });
+
+        sinon.assert.calledOnce(specific);
+        sinon.assert.notCalled(callback);
+        assert.deepEqual(specific.firstCall.args[0].body, body);
+        assert.deepEqual(specific.firstCall.args[0].event, event);
+        sinon.assert.calledOnce(generic);
+        assert.deepEqual(generic.firstCall.args[0].body, body);
+      });
+
+      it('should dispatch app_rate_limited without an inner event', async () => {
+        const client = new TestSocketModeClient({ appToken: 'xapp-' });
+        const body = { type: 'app_rate_limited', team_id: 'T111', minute_rate_limited: 1610241741 };
+        const specific = sandbox.spy();
+        const generic = sandbox.spy();
+        client.on('app_rate_limited', specific);
+        client.on('slack_event', generic);
+
+        await client.receive({
+          type: 'events_api',
+          payload: body,
+          envelope_id: 'rate-limited',
+          retry_attempt: 2,
+          retry_reason: 'timeout',
+          accepts_response_payload: false,
+        });
+
+        sinon.assert.calledOnce(specific);
+        const args = specific.firstCall.args[0];
+        assert.deepEqual(args.body, body);
+        assert.strictEqual(args.event, args.body);
+        assert.strictEqual(args.envelope_id, 'rate-limited');
+        assert.strictEqual(args.retry_num, 2);
+        assert.strictEqual(args.retry_reason, 'timeout');
+        assert.strictEqual(args.accepts_response_payload, false);
+        sinon.assert.calledOnce(generic);
+        assert.deepEqual(generic.firstCall.args[0].body, body);
+        assert.strictEqual(generic.firstCall.args[0].ack, args.ack);
+      });
+
+      it('should allow generic listeners to ACK malformed payloads without a valid event type', async () => {
+        for (const body of [
+          {},
+          { event: null },
+          { event: { type: 123 }, type: 456 },
+          { event: { type: '' }, type: '' },
+          null,
+          undefined,
+        ]) {
+          const client = new TestSocketModeClient({ appToken: 'xapp-' });
+          const send = sandbox
+            .stub(client as unknown as { send: (id: string, response: unknown) => Promise<void> }, 'send')
+            .resolves();
+          const generic = sandbox.spy();
+          const emit = sandbox.spy(client, 'emit');
+          client.on('slack_event', generic);
+
+          await client.receive({ type: 'events_api', payload: body, envelope_id: 'malformed' });
+
+          sinon.assert.calledOnce(emit);
+          sinon.assert.calledOnce(generic);
+          const args = generic.firstCall.args[0];
+          assert.strictEqual(args.type, 'events_api');
+          assert.deepEqual(args.body, body);
+          await args.ack({});
+          sinon.assert.calledOnceWithExactly(send, 'malformed', {});
+        }
+      });
+
+      it('should use the payload type when the inner event type is invalid', async () => {
+        const client = new TestSocketModeClient({ appToken: 'xapp-' });
+        const body = { type: 'app_rate_limited', event: { type: 123 } };
+        const specific = sandbox.spy();
+        client.on('app_rate_limited', specific);
+
+        await client.receive({ type: 'events_api', payload: body, envelope_id: 'invalid-inner-event' });
+
+        sinon.assert.calledOnce(specific);
+        assert.deepEqual(specific.firstCall.args[0].event, body);
+      });
+
       const envelopeId = 'cda4159a-72a5-4744-aba3-4d66eb52682b';
       const appMention = JSON.stringify({
         envelope_id: envelopeId,
diff --git a/packages/socket-mode/src/SocketModeClient.ts b/packages/socket-mode/src/SocketModeClient.ts
index 93bf8c7c0..5d69a67c1 100644
--- a/packages/socket-mode/src/SocketModeClient.ts
+++ b/packages/socket-mode/src/SocketModeClient.ts
@@ -363,15 +363,22 @@ export class SocketModeClient extends EventEmitter {
 
     // For events_api messages, expose the type of the event
     if (event.type === 'events_api') {
-      this.emit(event.payload.event.type, {
-        ack,
-        envelope_id: event.envelope_id,
-        body: event.payload,
-        event: event.payload.event,
-        retry_num: event.retry_attempt,
-        retry_reason: event.retry_reason,
-        accepts_response_payload: event.accepts_response_payload,
-      });
+      const innerEvent = event.payload?.event;
+      const dispatchedEvent =
+        typeof innerEvent?.type === 'string' && innerEvent.type.length > 0 ? innerEvent : event.payload;
+      if (typeof dispatchedEvent?.type === 'string' && dispatchedEvent.type.length > 0) {
+        this.emit(dispatchedEvent.type, {
+          ack,
+          envelope_id: event.envelope_id,
+          body: event.payload,
+          event: dispatchedEvent,
+          retry_num: event.retry_attempt,
+          retry_reason: event.retry_reason,
+          accepts_response_payload: event.accepts_response_payload,
+        });
+      } else {
+        this.logger.debug(`Received an events_api message without an event type (envelope_id: ${event.envelope_id})`);
+      }
     } else {
       // Emit just ack and body for all other types of messages
       this.emit(event.type, {