The track begins with an acoustic guitar riff and progresses into an upbeat refrain which incorporates pulsing synthesizers and syncopated bass drums.

[6] Martin and Shellback, another Swedish producer, co-wrote and co-produced three songs with Swift on Red—"22", "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", and "I Knew You Were Trouble"—all of which feature a pop production and programmed keyboards.

[6] She said during a February 2013 interview with Ryan Seacrest that the song's inspiration was a group of female friends with whom she often hung out; despite the uncertainty of adulthood, "the one thing that you have is that you have each other".

[10][11] On March 12, 2013, Big Machine in partnership with Republic Records released "22" to US contemporary hit radio as the fourth Red single.

[20] Rob Sheffield from Rolling Stone described the genre as disco,[21] and Annie Zaleski in the Cleveland Scene called the track a "spunky '90s-rock gem".

[23][24] The upbeat refrain infuses elements of dance and electronic music; it incorporates pulsing 1980s-pop-influenced synthesizers and syncopated bass drums that evoke influences from hip hop and alternative rock.

Jordan Sargent of Spin said the refrain's bass has a "fleeting upward sweep" that reflects the lyrical sentiment of "feeling young and invincible" while facing the impending "doom of growing up".

[17] NPR Music's J. English wrote that the contradictory feelings ("We're happy, free, confused and lonely at the same time / It's miserable and magical") serve as a mission statement for Red's depiction of a wide array of emotions, from the wide-eyed optimism on "Begin Again" to the cautionary tale of celebrity on "The Lucky One".

[35] Reviewers that highlighted "22" as one of the album's best tracks included Idolator's Sam Lansky,[36] USA Today's Jerry Shriver,[37] and the Tampa Bay Times' Max Asayesh-Brown, all of whom complimented the production.

[39] Some viewed the song as derivative of the chart hits by Swift's contemporaries such as Katy Perry and Kesha, including The Boston Globe's James Reed,[40] Telegram & Gazette's Craig S. Semon,[41] and Slant Magazine's Jonathan Keefe, who labelled it as a "shrill, deliberately vapid Ke$ha [sic] knockoff".

[43] At the 2015 Pop Awards held by Broadcast Music, Inc., "22" was one of the three songs (with "Everything Has Changed" and "Shake It Off") that helped Swift earn recognition as one of the "Songwriters of the Year".

[44] Retrospective reviews have been generally positive, with welcoming comments from Lansky, who highlighted the "millennial pink fizz" and "neutered naughtiness",[45] and Sheffield, who said the song is "[approximately] 22,000 times more fun than actually being 22".

[21] Nate Jones from Vulture hailed "22" for simultaneously being "absurdly catchy" and having "enough personality",[46] and Nick Levine from Time Out's deemed it "far smarter" than an average dance-pop song.

[20] In a 2019 ranking of Swift's 44 singles, The Guardian's Alexis Petridis placed the song at number four, and lauded its catchiness and contemplative lyrics about early adulthood.

[49] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the single triple platinum, denoting three million track-equivalent units based on digital sales and streaming.

[59][60][61] Some media publications noticed Swift's fashion as hipster-inspired, particularly her chambray shirt and plastic glasses,[62] while Cosmopolitan and Entertainment Weekly deemed the aesthetics reminiscent of Instagram's.

She appeared onstage for the rest of the song, joined by America's Got Talent winners and the dance crew Jabbawockeez; the performances ended with red balloons falling from the ceiling.

[109] In reviews of Red (Taylor's Version), some critics remarked that "22" was one of Swift's best pop songs, with Olivia Horn from Pitchfork deeming it one of her "great masterpieces".