diff --git a/cli/CHANGELOG.md b/cli/CHANGELOG.md
index 10e38351f96e..9690711f9a55 100644
--- a/cli/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/cli/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -3,6 +3,10 @@
 
 _Released 11/5/2024 (PENDING)_
 
+**Bugfixes:**
+
+- Fixed an issue where the Cypress runner could hang in `after` or `afterEach` hooks that run Cypress commands after a page load timeout error occurs. Addresses [#30238](https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/issues/30238).
+
 **Misc:**
 
 - Fixed a typo in CLI `global` option help text. Addresses [#30531](https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/issues/30531).
diff --git a/packages/driver/cypress/e2e/issues/30238.cy.js b/packages/driver/cypress/e2e/issues/30238.cy.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..f9a66b2adb65
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/driver/cypress/e2e/issues/30238.cy.js
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+after(() => {
+  // ensure that we're stable in the after hooks
+  expect(cy.state('isStable')).to.be.true
+
+  // ensure we can enqueue a command without timing out
+  cy.then(() => {
+    expect(true).to.be.true
+  })
+})
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  // ensure that we're stable in the after hooks
+  expect(cy.state('isStable')).to.be.true
+
+  // ensure that we can enqueue a command without timing out
+  cy.then(() => {
+    expect(true).to.be.true
+  })
+})
+
+it('runs an after block without timing out when the page load times out', { pageLoadTimeout: 500 }, () => {
+  cy.on('fail', (error) => {
+    expect(error.message).to.include('Timed out after')
+
+    return false
+  })
+
+  cy.on('window:before:load', (win) => {
+    // Stop the page from loading so that the page load times out
+    win.stop()
+  })
+
+  cy.visit('/fixtures/generic.html')
+})
diff --git a/packages/driver/src/cypress/command_queue.ts b/packages/driver/src/cypress/command_queue.ts
index 3b692c51b413..09ac6e460bf2 100644
--- a/packages/driver/src/cypress/command_queue.ts
+++ b/packages/driver/src/cypress/command_queue.ts
@@ -223,6 +223,9 @@ export class CommandQueue extends Queue<$Command> {
     // end in case we have after / afterEach hooks
     // which need to run
     this.index = this.length
+
+    // Mark the state as stable, so that any cypress commands can be re-queued during the after / afterEach hooks
+    this.state('isStable', true)
   }
 
   private runCommand (command: $Command) {