It received positive reviews from critics, many of whom praised Grande's vocal prowess, matured lyrical content and her adaptation to different musical styles.

Internationally, the album topped record charts in Australia, Brazil, Italy, Ireland, New Zealand, Spain and the United Kingdom, where it became Grande's first chart-topper.

[3][4][5] Following the rumors about the album's release date, Grande officially announced the lead single of Moonlight called "Focus" during her September 15, 2015 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

"[25] The musician Ilya Salmanzadeh contributed to the album producing and writing songs with Martin, Grande, Kotecha and Alexander Kronlund, they developed several tracks present in the album, including "Into You, "Side to Side", "Greedy", "Everyday", "Bad Decisions" and "Touch It", while the title track was produced by Johan Carlsson and Martin.

"[33] It starts with "a minimal club beat" before "crescendoing into [a] thumping chorus,"[47] where "an uptempo disco backline explodes into a monstrous club-ready hook," as noted by Complex's Jessie Morris.

[33] The disco-pop song "Greedy" received positive comments by music critics, who praised its production comparing to Mark Ronson's "Uptown Funk" featuring Bruno Mars (2014).

[31][43][59][60] An example of the comparison, is the Billboard's critic Katie Atkinson, who described the song as a "throwback trifle, which casts Grande as a lady Bruno Mars.

[28][64] During his verse, Future raps about lavish vacations and late-night endeavors,[67] describing himself as a bad guy ideally suited to Grande's needs.

[59] In "Bad Decisions", Grande sings, "I've been doing stupid things, wilder than I've ever been," with Mikael Wood of Los Angeles Times noting that "a tune whose message initially appears clear: I sinned, I'm sorry, let's move on.

[33] "Touch It" is an EDM-inspired song,[67] Grande sings the chorus over a "scuzzy bassline", as noted by Lewis Corner of Digital Spy.

[33] Maeve McDermott of USA Today described the song as "dramatic and dark" and noted a sound comparable to works of R&B artist The Weeknd.

[69] A mash-up of this song with "Gimme More" by Britney Spears, created in 2018 by YouTube user FrenchFriMashups, started to gain popularity in 2020 on social platform TikTok.

[71][72] In the song Grande sings among piano notes: "I'm no blow-up doll, no free-for-all, no slave to your decision,"/"Gotta find a way to break the spell, to get the hell away from those who block my vision."

[73] The song is included as an additional track on the Target version and the Japan Special Price edition of Dangerous Woman,[74][75] which would later be released onto streaming services on May 20, 2021 to coincide with its 5 year anniversary.

On March 12, 2016, Grande was both the host and musical guest on NBC's Saturday Night Live, where she performed "Dangerous Woman" and "Be Alright".

[84] At the Summertime Ball at London's Wembley Stadium in June, Grande performed "Dangerous Woman, "Into You", and "Greedy" from the album as part of her set.

[113] Its music video, directed by Hannah Lux Davis, made its premiere on American clothing brand Guess's website on August 28, 2016.

[121] The second promotional single, "Let Me Love You", featuring Lil Wayne, was released on April 18, 2016 debuting and peaking at number 99 on the Billboard Hot 100.

"[66] In his review for Entertainment Weekly, Nolan Feeney commented that while Grande's previous album, My Everything, "suffered for trying to be everything", on Dangerous Woman, "with a streamlined team of hitmakers such as Max Martin, she pulls off pop, R&B, reggae, and house—all without overextending herself or pandering to trends".

Club's Annie Zaleski agreed, stating that the album "possesses more personality than 'My Everything'," and writes in conclusion that "'Dangerous Woman' is an effortless leap forward on which Grande comes into her own as a vocalist and performer.

"[40] Lewis Corner from Digital Spy noted that Grande "ultimately pulled together a consistent collection that impressively manages to keep your attention over 15 tracks.

"[33] Mikael Wood, writing for the Los Angeles Times, found it "impressive how fully she inhabits the emotional environment of each song" on the album.

"[126] Erik Ernst of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel opined that "like much of the disc, it's an unexpected, but remarkable, choice from a confident pop star ready to set her own path to the top.

"[129] Maeve McDermott of USA Today summarized that Dangerous Woman, "like its title suggests", is "a mature portrait of an artist blessed with one of pop's strongest voices, brimming with potential hits.

"[127] The Plain Dealer's Troy L. Smith wrote that the album "plays it safe and smart", explaining it "functions as My Everything 2.0 – a collection of pitch-perfect hooks and slick production built in the mold of Mariah Carey.

"[60] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine wrote that Grande "too often tries to look and sound more mature than she is,"observing that "the songs on the album's latter half are limited by their strict adherence to contemporary pop and R&B trends.

"[31] In a mixed review, Christopher R. Weingarten of Rolling Stone opined that "as an album artist, she's prone to a schizophrenic sound and unfortunate sequencing," adding that "we're still no closer to figuring out who she wants to be."

"[43] In the United States, Dangerous Woman officially debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 making it her only album that failed to reach the top spot.

[147] On April 12, 2021, Dangerous Woman was certified double platinum by the RIAA for combined album sales, on-demand audio, video streams and track-sale equivalent of two million units.

[153] The album also reached the top of the charts in several other markets, including Australia,[154] Brazil,[155] Ireland,[156] Italy,[157] Netherlands,[158] New Zealand,[159] Norway,[160] and Spain.