Bangerz and its promotional efforts are lauded as a turning point in Cyrus' career, in which her public image successfully evolved from being a child star who was synonymous with her former television series Hannah Montana, to being a contemporary artist in her own right.

She was also confirmed as a primary voice actress in the feature film Hotel Transylvania, but was fired from the project due to a scandal involving her licking a suggestive cake.

[1] While recording the then-untitled album, Cyrus intended to produce a "very adult and sexy and believable" final product, and was "having fun making music [for] the first time in her career.

[16] Its cover sleeve and images were shot by British photographer Tyrone Lebon;[17] several unused pictures from the photo shoot surfaced online on June 5, 2014.

[23] The topless cover is featured for an online-exclusive edition of the record and is also the primary visual for the vinyl pressings, released on November 26 through Cyrus' online store.

[38] "We Can't Stop" is a midtempo pop,[39] and R&B[40] with influences from EDM and hip hop[41] song that lyrically discusses the events of a house party.

[38] "4x4" features hip hop recording artist Nelly, and lyrically discusses the story of a "female rebel" looking to find bail for her romantic partner.

Jason Lipshutz from Billboard noted that Cyrus appeared more comfortable with rapping in the recording, compared to an earlier performance on the Mike Will Made It single "23".

[50] The accompanying music video was released on June 19, 2013, and was noted for depicting an increasingly provocative Cyrus, an effort begun with her third record Can't Be Tamed (2010).

[63] The clip depicts Cyrus suggestively posing in a bed and a bathtub, and is interspersed with night vision footage that appears to simulate a sex tape.

[66] The remix for "Adore You", was produced by Cedric Gervais, and premiered online on February 13, 2014;[67] it was officially released on Beatport through his label Spinnin' Records on March 3.

[69][70] In August 2013, she became the subject of widespread media attention and public scrutiny following a controversial performance and duet with Robin Thicke at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards at Barclays Center in New York City.

[84] She held an album signing on October 8 at Planet Hollywood in Times Square,[85] and also appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and The Ellen DeGeneres Show later that month, also singing both singles there.

[100] On January 25, 2014, Cyrus sang "#GetItRight" during Clive Davis' party the evening before the 56th Annual Grammy Awards; after an unenthusiastic response from the audience, she performed a cover version of "Jolene" by Dolly Parton which received a more favorable reception.

[109] The first leg of the tour visited North America and was originally scheduled to include thirty-eight shows,[110] for which Swedish duo Icona Pop and American recording artist Sky Ferreira were announced as its opening acts.

[111] Tickets for the North American leg became available for purchase on November 16;[112] it began at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver on February 14, 2014, and was originally planned conclude on April 24 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.

[119] Writing for AllMusic, Heather Phares provided a favorable review, opining that it "accomplishes [the] mission" of "[selling] Cyrus as an independent woman", further commenting that the incorporation of several genres within the project "introduces Miley as an A-list pop star.

[34] Nick Catucci of Entertainment Weekly described Bangerz as being "utterly fresh" and a "pop blitz from a hip hop blue print", and stated that Cyrus had visibly transitioned from her former persona established by the Disney Channel.

Mikael Wood from the Los Angeles Times noted that the album favored a "grittier, hip-hop-inspired vibe" instead of the "glossy electro-pop" from her previous material, and further opined that "We Can't Stop" "still astounds; it might be the calmest, most clear-eyed rebel yell since Janet Jackson's 'Control.'

[126] Writing for Fact, Tom Lea provided a more mixed review of Bangerz, calling it a "hot mess of country, Southern hip-hop and more", but concluded that the record contained "more—ahem—bangers than clangers.

[122] John Murphy of MusicOMH described the tracks as being "rather run of the mill material", but nonetheless complimented Cyrus' promotional efforts for making the record "one of the most anticipated pop albums of the year".

[128] On his list of the ten best albums of 2013, Nick Catucci from Entertainment Weekly placed Bangerz third, complimenting Cyrus' ability for "cutting-edge rap [...], a soulful voice capable of showstoppers [...], and an underappreciated emotional directness".

[133] Rolling Stone placed Bangerz at number twenty-seven on their list of the fifty best albums, writing that Cyrus "[brought] depth and vulnerability to one hell of a party [...] amid all the foam-finger hub-hub".

[156] Zack O'Malley Greenburg from Forbes noted that her performances, music videos, and public behavior received "plenty of condemnation along with all the attention" in the lead-up to the record; he suggested that this was intentionally done so "[parents will] never again buy any products related to Cyrus–or her former alter-ego, tween sensation Hannah Montana.

"[156] John Murphy from MusicOMH stated that Cyrus' performance at the MTV Video Music Awards became "the seismic event that ensured we'd never recall 2013 without thinking of her", further opining that the anticipation it built for Bangerz made it "impossible not to admire her PR operation.

"[130] Andrew Unterberger of Billboard felt that Bangerz developed the maturing image for Cyrus that her third album Can't Be Tamed (2010) failed to accomplish.

[157] Marlow Stern from The Daily Beast shared a similar sentiment, stating that Cyrus "is completely in control of what she's doing" after her controversies that year, which he described as "pure artistic calculation born out of mild desperation", and has successfully done "just about anything to gain our attention".

[158] Zack O'Malley Greenburg of Forbes commented that despite widespread criticism of "chasing YouTube views and record sales at the expense of her image", the "new Cyrus" appears "marketable as ever.

[15] From a commercial standpoint, however, Suzanne Cowie of Babble suggested that Cyrus' opening-week sales figures and subsequent decline supported the idea that the studio album format is reaching its end, having used her example to exemplify that "consumers are only interested in the single".

[162] James Montgomery from MTV News elaborated on the network's decision that Cyrus "[declared] her independence and [dominated] the pop-culture landscape", adding that "she schooled—and shocked—us all in 2013, and did so on her own terms.