"Everywhere" received positive reviews from music critics, who called it a standout track from The Spirit Room due to its lively composition and catchy lyrics.

The track has also aged well, with retrospective reviews giving similar praise to the song's composition and its chorus being ranked the 77th greatest of the 21st century by Billboard magazine in 2017.

Commercially, "Everywhere" peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100, reached the top 20 in Australia and the United Kingdom, and achieved top-five placings in the Netherlands and New Zealand.

[2][3] After she turned 17, Danny Strick, the executive A&R manager of Maverick Records, saw her performing as an opening act for pop rock band Hanson.

A vocally fervent love song, the track is written in common time with a moderate tempo of 98 beats per minute and was composed in the key of D♭ major.

[22][23] According to Branch, she wrote the chorus a half step lower than the album version with falsetto vocals, but Shanks convinced her to raise the tone and sing as vigorously as she could.

[2] Stephanie Garr of online magazine The Dowsers described the song's essence as a combination of "moody post-grunge rock and breezy Y2K pop" and likened Branch's vocals to an optimistic Alanis Morissette, who was also signed to Maverick.

[2] In retrospective comments, Branch said that the material of her first two albums, including "Everywhere", is "hopelessly romantic" compared with her later work and composed of "a lot of [...] teenage rhyme".

[2][25] Billboard editor Chuck Taylor likened the song to a "shot of tequila" when compared with other pop music of the time, praising its mood, lyrics, and production.

[8] Chris Edge of Raleigh-Durham radio station WDCG said that the track conveys Branch's passion through its "incredible hook" and lyrics and praised its relatability.

[4] In Hasselt, Belgium, FM Limburg head of music Sandra Boussu labeled the track "cool and hip", comparing Branch to Morissette and Dutch singer Sita.

[27] Sean Richardson of the Boston Phoenix described the song's intro as "glossy", going on to label the chorus as "unforgettable dream-pop" and comparing the track to Vanessa Carlton's debut single, "A Thousand Miles".

[19] Garr noted that "Everywhere" marked the end of the "'90s angst" era and served as an influence for future female pop stars such as Kelly Clarkson, KT Tunstall, Sara Bareilles, and Hayley Williams of Paramore.

[3] In September 2022, Emily Yahr of The Washington Post commented on the song's nostalgia factor, writing that it "transport[s] a significant portion of the population back to the simpler times of watching MTV after school, dramatic AIM away messages and piling friends into a car fresh off getting a driver's license and cranking up the radio".

[25][52] The video shows Branch spying on a man in the opposite apartment building while she takes several photographs of him and plays her guitar in an empty room.