Expansion tube structures (ETSs) are extensively employed as energy-absorbing components in protective structures, yet their dynamic response under near-filed explosion remains inadequately understood, which limits their applications in anti-explosion devices. This paper investigates the response of ETS through explosion experiments, testing both the overpressure history of blast loading and the propagation process of detonation products. Following experimental verification, finite element models are established to obtain the characteristics of explosive loading and the response of ETS. The findings demonstrate that as the velocity of slider increases, the embedding displacement of ETS exceeding its limit induces a local buckling transformation in thin-wall tubes from one end buckling to simultaneous buckling at both ends. In the scaled distance range of 0.4–0.5 m/kg1/3, the energy absorption (EA) of ETS under different explosive masses exhibits distinct trends as the scaled distance increases, despite the decrease in peak pressure of blast loading. This is due to the coupling effect between blast shock waves and detonation products, resulting in diverse alterations in specific impulse with increasing scaled distance for varying explosive masses. In the case of oblique impact of blast loading, the percentage decrease in EA within the near-field range (Z < 0.8 m/kg1/3) is higher than that at mid-to-far range due to the uneven and random ejection of detonation products. The study elucidates the dynamic response of ETS under the coupled loading of blast wave and blast products, and provides valuable insights for optimizing designs of ETS utilized in near-field blast-resistant structures.