In 2021, "I Want It That Way" was placed at number 240 on the revised list of Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

[2] "I Want It That Way" is the Backstreet Boys' signature song, and commercially it reached the number-one spot in more than 25 countries,[3] including Austria, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

The song has been widely covered and parodied by a range of artists, including other boy bands such as JLS and One Direction.

When the members of the Backstreet Boys came to Stockholm in November 1998 for a two-week recording engagement, they were eventually presented with the demo of "I Want It That Way," which at the time only consisted of the main chorus.

On August 19, 2011, China's Ministry of Culture released a list of 100 songs, including the then twelve-year-old "I Want It That Way", that were required to be removed from the Internet.

The acoustic-guitar arpeggio riff, which forms the song's intro and reiterates throughout the verses, was written at the very end of the recording sessions and was, according to Carlsson, inspired by "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica.

[9] The alternate version was leaked on the internet via Napster and other methods in the early 2000s and was also played infrequently on some radio stations.

"[9] Many critics over the years have questioned the song's lyrical meaning, mainly the line, "I want it that way."

Ben Westhoff of LA Weekly dissected the song, writing that its lyrical content "makes zero sense."

"[12] Kevin Richardson, a member of the band, explained in an interview that, "Ultimately, the song really doesn't make much sense."

‘I Want It That Way’ boasts an earworm chorus which feels like it's always been part of pop's fabric, multi-layered harmonies (the “you are” crescendo is particularly glorious) that would put any classic vocal troupe to shame and an iconic airport-based video that perfectly encapsulates the mania the group inspired".

Bill Lamb of About.com ranked the song at the top of the list, writing that "Even Backstreet Boys detractors sometimes admit this single is a gorgeous pop ballad.

"[21] Emily Exton of VH1 chose the song, among twenty, as the best Backstreet Boys song, writing that, "It doesn't take weeks of phoning Carson Daly to know that this the 1999 monster smash is the quintessential modern pop ballad, propelling the genre and the state of the boy band into the 21st century.

There's call and response, human emotion, and allusions to fire even Charli XCX can't resist.

"[22] Danielle Sweeney of TheCelebrityCafe.com also listed "I Want It That Way" at number one, calling it "Quite possibly the greatest pop song of all time.

[30] The song was also voted the best boyband single of the past 15 years (until 2013) by Amazepop, topping the poll above the likes of 5ive's 'Keep On Movin'' and Westlife's 'Flying Without Wings'.

[40] It also reached the number-one spot on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts, where it stayed for ten non consecutive weeks.

[46] The music video, directed by Wayne Isham, was filmed at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) April 1–2, 1999, and debuted on MTV's TRL on May 5, 1999.

[47][48] The Tom Bradley International Terminal is seen in numerous shots and also appears as the band sings and dances to the chorus.

In the final chorus, as the band prepares to board their plane, a Boeing 727, they are greeted by a crowd of screaming fans bearing signs and flowers.

In November 2021, "I Want It That Way" became Backstreet Boys' first music video to reach one billion views on YouTube.

American radio personality Howard Stern parodied the track on his show called "If I Went The Gay Way", which was sung by his band The Losers[51] and peaked at No.

The misattributed version "Which Backstreet Boy is Gay" was actually performed by the morning crew at Portland, Oregon, radio station KKRZ-FM, known locally as Z100.

[54] Brazilian comedian Rafinha Bastos parodied the band as "Backstreet Farmers", sing the song.

[58] Main characters Shawn and Gus from USA Network's Psych, played by James Roday and Dulé Hill respectively, sing a rendition of the song while trying to block Juliet (Maggie Lawson) from the spotlight during the end credits of the episode "Forget Me Not".

In 2016, Brittany Howard, lead singer of Alabama Shakes, and Jim James, frontman of My Morning Jacket, covered the song in a commercial for American fast food chain Chipotle Mexican Grill.

[61][62] On March 1, 2020, American rapper Lil Uzi Vert interpolated the song on their single "That Way" from their second studio album Eternal Atake.

[63] Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter praised the song on his Twitter and told Uzi that he wants them to be "featured on our next album".

"[65] In 2022, the song appeared in and was used as the title for episode 4, season 1, of HBO's Tokyo Vice, where several characters discuss what "that" alludes to.

"I Want It That Way: Reimagined" was released on May 19, 2019, on their YouTube channel and digital streaming platforms in celebration of the song's 20th anniversary.