diff --git a/packages/nuxt/src/pages/module.ts b/packages/nuxt/src/pages/module.ts
index b19e528e1e4d..11638b1c2113 100644
--- a/packages/nuxt/src/pages/module.ts
+++ b/packages/nuxt/src/pages/module.ts
@@ -151,10 +151,7 @@ export default defineNuxtModule({
     // Extract macros from pages
     const pageMetaOptions: PageMetaPluginOptions = {
       dev: nuxt.options.dev,
-      sourcemap: nuxt.options.sourcemap.server || nuxt.options.sourcemap.client,
-      dirs: nuxt.options._layers.map(
-        layer => resolve(layer.config.srcDir, layer.config.dir?.pages || 'pages')
-      )
+      sourcemap: nuxt.options.sourcemap.server || nuxt.options.sourcemap.client
     }
     nuxt.hook('modules:done', () => {
       addVitePlugin(() => PageMetaPlugin.vite(pageMetaOptions))
diff --git a/packages/nuxt/src/pages/page-meta.ts b/packages/nuxt/src/pages/page-meta.ts
index f970d157bcd6..7563b436fab8 100644
--- a/packages/nuxt/src/pages/page-meta.ts
+++ b/packages/nuxt/src/pages/page-meta.ts
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ import MagicString from 'magic-string'
 import { isAbsolute, normalize } from 'pathe'
 
 export interface PageMetaPluginOptions {
-  dirs: Array<string | RegExp>
   dev?: boolean
   sourcemap?: boolean
 }
@@ -42,11 +41,7 @@ export const PageMetaPlugin = createUnplugin((options: PageMetaPluginOptions) =>
       const query = parseMacroQuery(id)
       id = normalize(id)
 
-      const isPagesDir = options.dirs.some(dir => typeof dir === 'string' ? id.startsWith(dir) : dir.test(id))
-      if (!isPagesDir && !query.macro) { return false }
-
-      const { pathname } = parseURL(decodeURIComponent(pathToFileURL(id).href))
-      return /\.(m?[jt]sx?|vue)/.test(pathname)
+      return !!query.macro
     },
     transform (code, id) {
       const query = parseMacroQuery(id)
@@ -66,26 +61,6 @@ export const PageMetaPlugin = createUnplugin((options: PageMetaPluginOptions) =>
 
       const hasMacro = code.match(/\bdefinePageMeta\s*\(\s*/)
 
-      // Remove any references to the macro from our pages
-      if (!query.macro) {
-        if (hasMacro) {
-          walk(this.parse(code, {
-            sourceType: 'module',
-            ecmaVersion: 'latest'
-          }) as Node, {
-            enter (_node) {
-              if (_node.type !== 'CallExpression' || (_node as CallExpression).callee.type !== 'Identifier') { return }
-              const node = _node as CallExpression & { start: number, end: number }
-              const name = 'name' in node.callee && node.callee.name
-              if (name === 'definePageMeta') {
-                s.overwrite(node.start, node.end, 'false && {}')
-              }
-            }
-          })
-        }
-        return result()
-      }
-
       const imports = findStaticImports(code)
 
       // [vite] Re-export any script imports
diff --git a/packages/nuxt/src/pages/runtime/composables.ts b/packages/nuxt/src/pages/runtime/composables.ts
index abe492a46a5c..5c3db581aee2 100644
--- a/packages/nuxt/src/pages/runtime/composables.ts
+++ b/packages/nuxt/src/pages/runtime/composables.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 import type { KeepAliveProps, TransitionProps, UnwrapRef } from 'vue'
+import { getCurrentInstance } from 'vue'
 import type { RouteLocationNormalized, RouteLocationNormalizedLoaded, RouteRecordRedirectOption } from 'vue-router'
+import { useRoute } from 'vue-router'
 import type { NuxtError } from '#app'
 
 export interface PageMeta {
@@ -51,6 +53,14 @@ const warnRuntimeUsage = (method: string) =>
 // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unused-vars
 export const definePageMeta = (meta: PageMeta): void => {
   if (process.dev) {
+    const component = getCurrentInstance()?.type
+    try {
+      const isRouteComponent = component && useRoute().matched.some(p => Object.values(p.components || {}).includes(component))
+      if (isRouteComponent) {
+        // don't warn if it's being used in a route component
+        return
+      }
+    } catch {}
     warnRuntimeUsage('definePageMeta')
   }
 }
diff --git a/packages/schema/src/config/build.ts b/packages/schema/src/config/build.ts
index c905fae4ce81..d0e0c67b7c38 100644
--- a/packages/schema/src/config/build.ts
+++ b/packages/schema/src/config/build.ts
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ export default defineUntypedSchema({
           $resolve: async (val, get) => defu(val || {},
             await get('dev') ? {} : {
               vue: ['onBeforeMount', 'onMounted', 'onBeforeUpdate', 'onRenderTracked', 'onRenderTriggered', 'onActivated', 'onDeactivated', 'onBeforeUnmount'],
-              '#app': ['definePayloadReviver']
+              '#app': ['definePayloadReviver', 'definePageMeta']
             }
           )
         },
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ export default defineUntypedSchema({
           $resolve: async (val, get) => defu(val || {},
             await get('dev') ? {} : {
               vue: ['onServerPrefetch', 'onRenderTracked', 'onRenderTriggered'],
-              '#app': ['definePayloadReducer']
+              '#app': ['definePayloadReducer', 'definePageMeta']
             }
           )
         }
diff --git a/test/basic.test.ts b/test/basic.test.ts
index 8f15f25096f3..af4a2f0fc6bd 100644
--- a/test/basic.test.ts
+++ b/test/basic.test.ts
@@ -113,6 +113,11 @@ describe('pages', () => {
     expect(headers.get('location')).toEqual('/')
   })
 
+  it('includes page metadata from pages added in pages:extend hook', async () => {
+    const res = await fetch('/page-extend')
+    expect(res.headers.get('x-extend')).toEqual('added in pages:extend')
+  })
+
   it('validates routes', async () => {
     const { status, headers } = await fetch('/forbidden')
     expect(status).toEqual(404)
diff --git a/test/fixtures/basic/modules/page-extend.ts b/test/fixtures/basic/modules/page-extend.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..1f794eeee60a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/basic/modules/page-extend.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+import { createResolver, defineNuxtModule, useNuxt } from 'nuxt/kit'
+
+export default defineNuxtModule({
+  meta: {
+    name: 'page-extend'
+  },
+  setup () {
+    const nuxt = useNuxt()
+    const resolver = createResolver(import.meta.url)
+
+    nuxt.hook('pages:extend', (pages) => {
+      pages.push({
+        name: 'page-extend',
+        path: '/page-extend',
+        file: resolver.resolve('./runtime/page.vue')
+      })
+    })
+  }
+})
diff --git a/test/fixtures/basic/modules/runtime/page.vue b/test/fixtures/basic/modules/runtime/page.vue
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..5174b019cb65
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/basic/modules/runtime/page.vue
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+<script setup lang="ts">
+import { setResponseHeader } from 'h3'
+
+definePageMeta({
+  value: 'added in pages:extend'
+})
+
+if (process.server) {
+  setResponseHeader(useRequestEvent(), 'x-extend', useRoute().meta.value as string)
+}
+</script>
+
+<template>
+  <div>
+    added in pages:extend
+  </div>
+</template>
diff --git a/test/fixtures/minimal/app.vue b/test/fixtures/minimal/app.vue
index b75ed9fa6767..b112b78c63e4 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/minimal/app.vue
+++ b/test/fixtures/minimal/app.vue
@@ -1,6 +1,11 @@
 <script setup lang="ts">
 import { componentNames } from '#components'
 console.log(componentNames)
+// @ts-expect-error this is not usable outside a pages directory
+definePageMeta({
+  // this should be fully tree-shaken out
+  title: 'jet common fruit chose bright planning exercise herself position wealth stiff known prepare listen leader eleven found boat dollar eye come author won thought pony biggest feel organized die vast class ask cost ball wrong chicken origin model little properly dangerous dull corner jar mighty solution pilot city locate guide gradually affect curve about snake single silly against fireplace money another involved origin sport where thin stop question go stretch although arrow rush mixture fallen power pay fifteen layers play slightly heavy built needed sing sentence diagram quarter yesterday list faster been having construction curious shoe'
+})
 </script>
 
 <template>