It is primarily a pop record, with elements of folk-pop, dance-pop, electropop, alt-pop and storytelling, themed around emails and messages she wrote but did not send.

[7] She also revealed that she finished the album's recording in New York City with Julia Michaels, JP Saxe, John Ryan and Leroy Clampitt, after she moved to Manhattan's Financial District in June of that year.

[7] Carpenter appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon where she confirmed that the album would be dropped in 2022 and that the title was hidden in work released the year before.

[11] Emails I Can't Send is primarily a pop album with elements of folk-pop,[12] dance-pop,[13] electropop,[14] alt-pop,[14] and storytelling.

[16] The Strand Magazine writer Siraaj Khan agreed that the album differed from Carpenter's previous work which fell more into the contemporary R&B genre.

[20] Young Hollywood writer Skylar Zachian noted that "the lyrics reveal a perfect balance of literal and metaphorical storytelling to really get us thinking about the intricacies of relationships and decision-making".

[20] The former was compared to Dolly Parton and Kacey Musgraves's work, with Carpenter singing about "the fragility of a relationship that should have ended long ago".

[23] "Bet U Wanna" has a "subdued but tense arrangement that complements its hushed vocals" and received comparisons to Carpenter's Singular era.

[25][13][24] "Skinny Dipping" takes a "detour from the radio-friendly songwriting" and uses spoken words in its verses, which "resembles an awkward encounter with an ex-partner, which further adds to the project's conceptual undertone".

[13] The deluxe version of the album opens with "Opposite", which sees Carpenter looking back on a relationship, "wondering if she was never her ex's ideal type in the first place".

[27] On August 15, 2022, Carpenter announced that she would embark on her fourth concert tour in support of Emails I Can't Send.

[51] The album generally received favourable reviews by the music critics, Capital writer Savannah Roberts noted that the "songstress showed her impressive range on the record, including everything from ballads to insanely catchy empowerment anthems" and called it her most personal album, adding that it "gave fans an intimate look into Sabrina's life".

"[55] The Edge writer Rhianna Saglani praised JP Saxe and Carpenter's collaborations and went on to call the album a "a piece of art in itself".

[16] The Central Trend writer Ella Peirce called the album remarkable and noted that "each song is its own while still letting the record flow wonderfully together as a whole".

[56] Agnius Kazlauskas of The Indiependent praised the album calling it "a story of Carpenter's perseverance and a much-needed step towards reclaiming her narrative".

[20] She added that the album "takes on the role of reintroducing the singer to the world" and called it an "emotional roller-coaster" which "[explores] the inner corners of Carpenter's mind".

[20] Village Pipol writer Indi Jimenez praised the album, calling it a "new perspective on the age-old question of how and why the way we love affects our relationships with others".

[12] He concluded by saying that "once you look beyond the shiny artificial parts of the album, you find the authentic Sabrina Carpenter—which is far more appealing than whatever the lead singles hope to achieve".

[12] Emails I Can't Send debuted at number 23 on the US Billboard 200, earning 18,000 album-equivalent units, which included 7,000 pure album copies.