After the success of Can't Take Me Home, her 2000 debut album, Pink became dissatisfied with her lack of creative control and being marketed as a white R&B singer.

Arista initially refused to put the album out, fearing that Pink's new direction would result in commercial failure, but she fought for her vision and eventually convinced the label that the risk was worth it.

A critical success, observers regarded Missundaztood as a significant progression from Can't Take Me Home and an artistic breakthrough for Pink.

Most music critics praised the album's emotional depth and blending of styles; others appreciated Pink's vocal performances and songwriting.

Critics have praised Pink in retrospect for reinventing her music and increasing her creative control, calling Missundaztood distinguished and remarkable.

[2][4][6] Despite Can't Take Me Home's success, Pink felt dissatisfied and constrained by her lack of creative control and being marketed to a teen audience as an R&B singer.

[7][8][9] Her father, Jim Moore, said in an October 2000 MTV News interview that Pink expressed interest in experimenting and showcasing her versatility on her forthcoming album.

[13][14] According to Pink, the message was about "how much I loved [Perry] and how she owes me because I got arrested singing her music out of my window at 3:30 in the morning, and how I'm gonna stalk her if she doesn't return my call".

[30] Austin generally disapproved of Pink's R&B direction, and his sessions for Can't Take Me Home were unproductive;[31][32] however, she wanted to work with him again on her forthcoming album.

[35][36] Reflecting on these themes, Pink acknowledged how this affected her life was and decided to express her suffering through a song:[36] "It makes me sad, but it also helped release some of my feelings ...

[44][45] According to Ed Condran of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the album spans a variety of musical genres, from pop, rock, and disco to R&B, blues, and hip hop.

"[44] Kate Sullivan of Spin called Pink's direction "a rebellion against the producer-driven machinery that created her 2000 debut, Can't Take Me Home".

[63] Todd Burns of Stylus Magazine said that Pink "emerges as a conflicted and deeply troubled artist that is unafraid to confront her demons".

[74][75][76] Four singles were released from the album: "Get the Party Started" on October 16, 2001;[77] "Don't Let Me Get Me" on February 18, 2002;[78] "Just Like a Pill" on June 10,[79] and "Family Portrait" on September 16 of that year.

[116] The Tampa Tribune's Cloe Cabrera described the album as "an edgy, rock-driven set", praising its focus on "loneliness, family discord and [Pink's] refusal to fit in".

[47] Thomas was impressed by Pink's "heartfelt and revealing" lyrics and "assured and confident" vocals, calling Missundaztood "an introspective charmer that shows the promise and versatility evident in a young and rising star.

"[59] Smokey said that the album eschews the "slick pop-R&B diva image" of Can't Take Me Home in favor of a rock direction.

[60] For Billboard, Rashaun Hall called it "a rock-fused, hook-friendly set" and cited "Numb" and "Lonely Girl" as indicating Pink's versatility.

[50] Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian viewed it as "an unusually three-dimensional picture of growing up in a broken home", and found it "surprisingly good".

[123] In Entertainment Weekly, Jim Farber said that Missundaztood "captures girlish confusion with greater accuracy and delight" than Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill (1995) did, and Pink sounds "like Cyndi Lauper's long lost stepsister".

Los Angeles Times writer Natalie Nichols unfavorably compared Missundaztood with Can't Take Me Home, referring to its "tendency to sound vaguely familiar".

[118] Alex Pappademas of Blender wrote, "Pink sees herself as a singer whose talent defies boundaries, but the melodic shortcomings of Missundaztood show that those eye-popping videos aside, she's no Madonna.

[129] Sia Michel of Spin credited the album's success with the coming of age of former teen-pop fans and their growing interest in different types of music.

[129] For The Guardian, Dorian Lynskey attributed Pink's new popularity to the "lucrative and untapped market" of "teenage girls who may have liked Britney three years ago but now have a taste for low-key rebellion, the Osbournes and boys with tattoos".

[131][132][133] Jason Thompson called Missundaztood bold, and praised Pink for "breaking away from the stereotypes and misconceptions regarding pop stars".

[50] Robert Hilburn wrote for the Los Angeles Times that Pink's reinvention (and its potential commercial impact) was initially questioned, but was later "a move industry observers now applaud as brilliant".

[134] Barry Walters of Rolling Stone cited the album as one of "one of the most radical R&B to-rock transformations since Prince abandoned disco for a Dirty Mind [(1980)]".

[135] In a 2021 retrospective, Arielle Gordon of Stereogum said that Pink's opposition to her label's pressure to remain an R&B singer "somehow wrestled autonomy of her image and sound in an industry practically fueled by harnessing complete control of their young, primarily female stars.

"[68] People editor Lanford Beard called Missundaztood "a career-shaping album", which helped establish Pink as a "prolific creator of 'autobiographical songs filled with attitude'".

[136] The album's success enhanced Perry's songwriting career,[137] and she wrote songs with Alicia Keys, Courtney Love, and Gwen Stefani.