Music critics found the lyricism of "Love Is Embarrassing" relatable and praised the production and Rodrigo's performance, which they also compared to other artists.
[3] She conceived the follow-up album, Guts (2023), at the age of 19, while experiencing "lots of confusion, mistakes, awkwardness & good old fashioned teen angst".
[19][23][25] Rodrigo's tone conveys complete disenchantment with a love interest, and she keeps shifting her delivery;[19][25] Sheffield believed she sings with a "hiccup in her voice" that is reminiscent of Dale Bozzio.
[23] He compared the fusion of synthesizers and guitars to the Cars, the Go-Go's, and Missing Persons,[23][24] while Lucas Martins of Beats Per Minute thought Rodrigo's "looseness and her rockstar swagger" were evocative of Debbie Harry.
[26] Other artists "Love Is Embarrassing" was compared to include Two Door Cinema Club, Kelly Clarkson, Marina and the Diamonds,[27][28] Karen O, Bryan Ferry,[29] Kathleen Hanna,[20] Paramore,[30] and Alvvays.
[17][33] Rodrigo reevaluates her feelings and comes to the conclusion that love is "fucking embarrassing", describing the crush as "some weird second string loser" who is not worth her time.
[18][25] Lipshutz believed the song would find an audience in new wave fans and proved Rodrigo's unparalleled talent for blending deep musical genre exploration with intimate and diary-like stories of young heartbreak.
[17][26] On the other hand, Gabriel Saulog of Billboard Philippines thought the song was one of the weaker and more forgettable tracks on Guts and would have benefited from a longer duration, but its spirited hooks were enjoyable.
[37] Caramanica believed "Love Is Embarrassing" displayed Rodrigo's remarkably pure songwriting which captured raw emotions even in the most stylized lyrics.
[17] Slant Magazine's Charles Lyons-Burt believed her lyricism had become more precise, which improved the resonance of both her self-criticism and critiques of others, and songs like "Love Is Embarrassing" revealed different attitudes or emotions with each listen due to their conflicted core.
[39][40] Ragusa believed the latter was an example of her sophisticated songwriting, highlighting the choice of the word "crucify" as immensely theatrical and the description of the crush as absolutely hilarious.
[44][45] "Love Is Embarrassing" received a silver certification in the United Kingdom from the British Phonographic Industry, and the Official Charts Company declared it her 20th-biggest song in the country in February 2024.
[58][59] Rodrigo performs choreography with female background dancers, which is "meant to be silly and, well, embarrassing" according to Miami New Times' Celia Almeida;[60] Rolling Stone's Tomás Mier believed she channeled pop artists like Cyndi Lauper, and The Tennessean's Audrey Gibbs compared the dancers to the lineup in "Cell Block Tango" from the musical Chicago (1975).
[63] She held the top to keep it from falling off, drawing the attention of a dancer who tried to fix it, while the group continued performing high-energy choreography.
[65] Sydney Bucksbaum of Entertainment Weekly and Logan DeLoye of iHeartRadio thought that similarly to Rodrigo, the dancer also flawlessly completed the high-energy choreography while keeping hold of her top, seamlessly performing as if it were planned.