Released on July 9, 2020, the video features Puth preparing for a dinner date at his home and dancing around the residence.

[2] Puth began to tease the song on his Twitter account in April 2020, in which he periodically posted the abbreviation "GF".

[4] While the song had been created a couple years ago, Puth believed that 2020 was "a perfect time" to release it.

[8] Heran Mamo of Billboard referred to "Girlfriend" as a "swoon-worthy summer bop", praising the song's "infectious pop beat".

[9] In the United States, "Girlfriend" debuted and peaked at number 28 on the Digital Songs Sales chart for the issue dated July 11, 2020.

Dressed in a floral shirt, gym socks, and loafers, Puth cleans his house and plays Twister.

[14] To further promote the song, Puth performed it on several online series, including Genius' Open Mic and Rolling Stones' In My Room.