Spin named "Crayon" the best K-pop single of 2012, with David Bevan commenting that the track "almost felt too big for the occasion, too brash to have come from the leader of a boy band.
"[3] Corban Goble of Pitchfork called "Crayon" "magnificent," writing the song represents "a logical collision of fluorescent, pound-the-alarm EDM, the tomahawk chop chant, and G-Dragon's referential, sharp rapping; every element throbbed with electricity.
"[5] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times wrote that "Crayon" is a "pneumatic-intensity thumper with a Southern rap backbone" and added the song set "an almost impossibly high bar.
[7] Jeff Benjamin of Fuse considered "Crayon" "one of G-Dragon's signature tracks", writing that the single's "crazy dance joint is guaranteed to make" audience in live performances "go nuts".
[8] E. Alex Jung of Vulture.com felt that the track was "the best example of his chameleonic power" since it "demonstrated his ability to metabolize pop culture and fashion on a global scale and reform it into his own aesthetic.
[15] E. Alex Jung from Vulture.com felt that the music video was "full of jokes", with "nods to Korea's burgeoning fast fashion industry", in the opening with "a popping pink Wonder Woman robe before moving to jackets in holographic gold" to "Thom Browne's 2012 fall collection with its fun-house proportions.