An experimental investigation into the structure of a supersonic jet impinging on a large plate is presented. Digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV), shadowgraph photography and acoustic measurements are used to understand the relationship between the unsteady jet structure and the production of tones for nozzle-to-plate spacings between 1 and 5 nozzle exit diameters at a nozzle–pressure ratio equal to 4. Results indicate that the instability of the jet depends on the location of the plate in the shock cell structure of the corresponding free jet and the strength of the standoff shock wave, rather than on the occurrence of recirculation zones in the impingement region. Phase-locked studies show streamwise displacements of the stand-off shock wave, a moving recirculation zone in the subsonic flow in front of the plate, and significant oscillations of both the compression and expansion regions in the peripheral supersonic flow when tones are produced. Sound is shown to be generated by periodic pulsing of the wall jet boundary resulting from periodic motion of the flow in the impingement and near-wall regions of the flow.