Inspired by photographs of her mother's time as a high school cheerleader, she wrote the song to criticize the unrealistic expectations of being a teenager in the United States.

Numerous reviewers compared the track's sound to other musicians, especially Taylor Swift and Bruce Springsteen; Cain has cited the latter as a longtime inspiration.

Upon its release, "American Teenager" received positive reception from music critics, several of whom deemed it a standout from Preacher's Daughter.

[1] She had been working on the album's story throughout the majority of her life;[1] its narrative revolves around an American girl that runs away from her home only to meet a violent end with a cannibal.

It was released alongside a visualizer, which depicts Cain sitting on a picnic table, drinking cans of Budweiser, and appearing tired on a sunny day.

Alongside the release of the single, she also announced the Freezer Bride Tour and revealed its North American dates for July 2022.

[29] "American Teenager" is the most upbeat song on Preacher's Daughter[25] and was seen as its most commercially appealing track by Paul Bridgewater from The Line of Best Fit.

[32][33] The lyric "The neighbor's brother came home in a box" challenges the idea of a person serving their country, while "Jesus, if you're there, why do I feel alone in this room with you?"

[34] Bridgewater highlighted that the track, alongside the album songs "Family Tree" and "Gibson Girl", contain "lyrics that paint a Southern Gothic world filled with the scent of Marlboro Reds, and waffle-house [sic] coffee".

[35] Similarly, Michelle Hyun Kim of Rolling Stone said it is reminiscent of Springsteen, Swift, and the emo band American Football.

[25] Tom Williams noticed similarities with Swift's second studio album, Fearless (2008), in a review for Beats Per Minute.

[37] A writer for Billboard felt the "ethereal regions of [Cain's] voice" were reminiscent of the Irish rock band the Cranberries.

[e] DIY's Ben Tipple considered it "perfect epic pop",[17] while Bridgewater felt it was one of the album's "tent-pole tracks".

[26] Critics enjoyed the song's blend of genres[20][34] and Cain's ability to make an accessible track while maintaining a distinct sound.

[28] It also received further placements in the top 100 from The Fader,[41] Consequence,[43] Vice,[48] and Rolling Stone,[34] and appeared in unranked lists from Slate,[49] Nylon,[50] Uproxx,[51] and British GQ.

The former ranked it at number 29; Horn called it a "fist-pumping anthem of solidarity for all the young people that the American dream leaves behind".

[29] The latter named it the 64th best track, with Clare Martin lauding Cain's pop abilities "as she pays tribute to her Southern Baptist Florida upbringing".