[10] The band wanted this release to be "a bit more songwriter-y, rather than just disjointed basslines and riffs", and they had hoped to collaborate with underground pop musicians, such as the producers affiliated with the PC Music art collective.

[13] Bonito Generation has been described to be an electropop,[14] J-pop,[15] and synth-pop record,[16] with influences from electro, dancehall, video game music, '90s dance, hip hop, and K-pop.

[20] Themes of the record also touch upon Instagram, hearing a catchy song on the radio, trampolines, waking up, childlike perspective upon day-to-day existential crises, and the curiosity of youth.

[25] Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Heather Phares wrote, "Packed with breezy, witty, should-be hits, Bonito Generation is a winning mix of subversive art and genuine heart.

[19] While Milton wrote that the album "crams together a bunch of massive singles, melted into a sometimes grating dose of glucose," the review concluded that "that's the compromise for penning twelve monster hits.

[19] Kate Hutchinson of The Guardian wrote that "Their no-fat nuggets have the hyper-slickness of kawaii J-pop, while harking back to an era (the 90s, obv) when high-concept chart hits were as ubiquitous as boy bands' curtains".