The October 30, 2020, Mw7 Samos earthquake ruptured a north-dipping offshore normal fault, bounding the Samos basin; it accommodated ∼N-S extension and can be viewed as a modern manifestation of the basin evolution. It caused 118 fatalities, generated a tsunami, and caused a co-seismic uplift of 20 to 35 cm of the NW part of Samos Island. Using broadband, strong-motion, and geodetic data, we constrain the location and source geometry of the mainshock. A multiple-point source model suggests three sequential subevents providing 20 s of source duration. Our finite-fault kinematic model confirms the prevalence of large slip amplitudes (∼2.4 m) along the entire ruptured area and the up-dip and westward rupture propagation. This directivity is independently confirmed by Apparent Source Time Functions inferred from regional recordings using a herein developed new variant of the empirical Green's function method. Static GNSS displacements from inland stations yield a near-surface co-seismic slip of ∼1 m amplitude, contributing to any interpretation of the observed island uplift. The 2020 Samos event showed that in the spatially heterogeneous oblique transtentional regions in the back-arc Aegean region, normal faults bounding the basins are capable to rupture in M7 earthquakes, provoke tsunami generation, and constitute a constant threat to the nearby coastal areas of both Greece and Turkey. •Source complexity of three coseismic episodes, including localized shallow slip•Rupture directivity towards west, resolved from apparent moment rate functions.•Manifestation of twin-basin evolution in oblique transtensional regime