Music journalists have noted the album as an artistic reinvention for the Weeknd, with the introduction of new wave and dream pop influences.

The Weeknd first teased that he was working on a new album during a performance in November 2018, telling the crowd that "Chapter VI was coming soon".

His post made fans and media outlets believe that he would continue the darker sounds that were present in his first EP My Dear Melancholy (2018).

[3] After a five-month period of silence,[4][5] the Weeknd revealed a snippet of the album's second single "Blinding Lights" through a Mercedes-Benz commercial.

[16][17] On its release day, the album premiered on the eighth episode of the Weeknd's Apple Music 1 radio show Memento Mori.

The main reason is these are all emotions and thoughts and feelings that I had late at night – [like the video] is all one night and I’m going through all the emotions, after the club, after the fight and after a long day, it's like these are my thoughts from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m."[30] The artwork and aesthetic for the album's promotional material has been described as psychedelic and being inspired by various films, such as: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), Joker (2019), Casino (1995), and Uncut Gems (2019), with the last film having a cameo appearance by the Weeknd himself.

[35] The Weeknd's physical appearance in the era has been described by journalists as being red-pigmented,[36] with him consistently maintaining a red suit and specific hairstyle throughout all of the album's promotional material, such as its artwork, music videos, teasers, and live performances,[37] with its music videos and live performances used to create a mini story.

[62] For his performance on the March 7, 2020, episode of Saturday Night Live,[63] He performed a comedic track alongside Kenan Thompson and Chris Redd, made specifically for the show, titled "On the Couch", and the songs: "Blinding Lights" and the previously unreleased "Scared to Live", the latter of which featured electronic musician Oneohtrix Point Never and interpolates "Your Song" by Elton John.

[73] The promotional single reached the top 20 of various countries worldwide, including the United States, where it peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.

[83] On October 18, 2021, the Weeknd announced that due to arena constraints, the start of tour would be pushed back to the summer of 2022 and would now be held entirely in stadiums.

[91] In a rave review, The New York Times journalist Jon Caramanica complimented After Hours for its "sparkled trauma, kaleidoscopic emotional confusion, urgent and panting physical release paired with failed-state romantic dyspepsia".

[27] Writing for Consequence, Candace McDuffie stated that as the Weeknd evolves, "he continues to reinvent himself, and he knows exactly how to leave fans hooked on havoc", and After Hours proves that he is "not done with us yet; in fact, he's just getting started".

reviewer Jacob Carey stated that "After Hours does feel like the Weeknd's very own version of Vegas – a place where overindulgence, self-loathing and promiscuity are not only welcomed, but encouraged".

[96] The Guardian's Michael Cragg praised the "sense of narrative cohesion" on the album, saying that its songs "bleed into each other", with the Weeknd exploring new sonic influences.

[97] Writing for The Independent, Roisin O'Connor stated that the album eschews the danceability of its predecessor for "moody introspection", and called it "the music you listen to when the party's over".

O'Connor further compared the album to the Weeknd's previous releases, saying that After Hours "still delves into a sadboy persona but there's a tinge of remorse that runs through, in comparison to the cold and often cruel tone of earlier cuts".

[98] Luke Morgan Britton of NME called it the Weeknd's "strongest record in some time", free of featured artists and "full of probing self-reflection".

[99] Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone wrote that After Hours "has its share of pity-partying", but also displays vulnerability that "goes beyond the usual too-beautiful-for-the-world sulking".

[101] Writing for Variety, Jem Aswad branded After Hours the "most fully realized album" of the Weeknd's career.

He characterized the album's musical style as "ultra-cinematic keyboards, pulsating sub-bass, hard beats (which are seldom danceable), '80s synthesizer flourishes and caverns of echo, all of which contrast with his high, angelic voice".

[102] In less favourable reviews, David Smyth of Evening Standard particularly praised the track "Blinding Lights", but found the Weeknd to be "in a bit of a fug" on the rest of After Hours.

[131] In its fourth week, After Hours earned 75,000 album-equivalent units (including 20,000 pure album sales), remaining at number one on the Billboard 200 chart.

[134] On December 6, 2022, After Hours was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for earning over three million album-equivalent units in the US.

On November 24, 2020, he responded by calling the Grammys "corrupt" in social media posts, announcing the cancellation of his scheduled live performance at the ceremony.

[139] Speculation arose over whether the announcement of his then-upcoming Super Bowl performance, as well as the confusion as to whether he should be nominated as pop or R&B, contributed to the snubs in all the categories he was submitted to by his team.

[140] Harvey Mason Jr., interim president of the Recording Academy, responded to the backlash by saying: We understand that The Weeknd is disappointed at not being nominated.

To be clear, voting in all categories ended well before The Weeknd's performance at the Super Bowl was announced, so in no way could it have affected the nomination process.

[141]The Weeknd later remarked in an interview with Billboard that the snub felt like "an attack", asserting: "Look, I personally don't care anymore.

"[142] Despite the Recording Academy announcing the elimination of private nominating committees,[143] the Weeknd said that moving forward with his career, he will prevent his major label executives from submitting his work for Grammy consideration.

[144] The Weeknd would later perform at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards after being introduced by Mason Jr., who in his introductory speech declared that the Academy had revised its nominating committee in response to the controversy.