Bates joined the film after Junkie XL chose not to return from the first Deadpool, and approached the score with a slight rock sensibility.

In addition to an orchestra and electronic instrumentation such as an electric guitar, Bates' score includes a choir that sings explicit phrases which match the film's irreverent tone.

[8] Bates approached the music with a slight rock sensibility,[8] and created an "obvious superhero theme" that he felt fit within the established X-Men franchise.

[9] For the score, Bates used a distorted guitar run through a wah-wah pedal, microsynths to add "unique colors", and a choir.

Bates discussed with Leitch potentially replacing the nonsense phrases with scene-appropriate lyrics, and the pair worked during a 20-minute break in recording with choral contractor Sally Stevens and orchestrator-conductor Tim Williams to write the new lines.

[14] The soundtrack also features an original collaboration between Diplo, French Montana, Zhavia Ward and Lil Pump called "Welcome to the Party".

[16] As explained by co-writer Reese, the song "We Belong" by Pat Benatar was used in the film to illustrate the theme of family that they were exploring, and was almost used a second time during the X-Force parachuting sequence but was replaced with AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" which was used as a "pump me up" song—because of its "straight" tone and use in Iron Man 2—to help sell the excitement of the audience before the X-Force characters are unexpectedly killed.

[24][25] In Australia, Deadpool 2 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) reached number 9 on the ARIA Top 100 Albums Chart.

He concluded that Bates "fully understood the needs of this film and delivered exactly what was required, but remembered to imbue it with a great deal of personality".

[42] Mikey Mason praised Bates' score as "upbeat, energetic and fun" when reviewing the soundtrack for We Are Geeks of Color, highlighting the tracks "Mutant Convoy" and "You Can’t Stop This Motherf*****".

[43] Chuck Campbell of Knoxville News gave the soundtrack album three out of five, calling it an "ultimately disposable" compilation that is still "fun in the moment".

Campbell praised "Ashes" for its earnest effect, but felt the main positive of the soundtrack was its "campy collection of decades-old hits".