An uptempo dance-pop song driven by a UK garage beat featuring disco and R&B elements, its lyrics reflect on Grande's efforts to move on following the attack on her concert the previous year, "celebrating rising above the world's negativity" with a "nearly spoken-word" vocalization.

In the US, "No Tears Left to Cry" entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number three, further extending her record as being the only artist to debut in the top ten with the lead single from all of her studio albums.

[1] "No Tears Left to Cry" was the first song Grande wrote with Max Martin, Ilya and Savan Kotecha for Sweetener, after working with Pharrell Williams for most of the album.

[4] Grande intended for "No Tears Left to Cry" to bridge a change in sound from her previous album Dangerous Woman (2016) by being more obscure and unexpected, inspired by her work with Williams, and thus suggested its verses and chorus to be in different keys.

According to Kotecha, they opted for simpler lyrics to make the song "digestible" and "easier to grasp" because of its already complex chord changes and melodic shifts.

[13] Variety noted that the song's chorus contrastingly features Grande alternating between "lifting her voice, pleadingly, for positivity" with the lyrics "Oh, I just want you to come with me / We're on another mentality", and "rhythmically" chanting "I'm lovin', I’m livin', I'm pickin' it up" with a "nearly spoken-word" vocalization.

[16] Grande began teasing social media on April 15, 2018, using teardrop emojis and the song's title written as "ʎɹɔ oʇ ʇɟǝl sɹɐǝʇ ou".

[17] The title appeared on billboards across the US and featured on grey sweatshirts worn on social media by Grande, her half-brother Frankie and then-boyfriend Mac Miller.

[20] The song premiered worldwide at midnight ET on April 20, 2018, as the lead single from Grande's fourth studio album, Sweetener.

"[11] Similarly, The Observer deemed it "a dazzling exercise in pop lightness, bringing optimism after last year's Manchester attack.

"[29] In The Guardian, Laura Snapes gave it four out of five stars, citing it as a "timeless sad song" and akin to Grande's One Love Manchester concert as "one of the most joyful, defiant celebrations of pop and the communities it inspires".

[30] Joel Golby, also from The Guardian, found the song expansive and appropriate, complimenting Grande's high notes and unconventional adlibs.

[31] Matt Mellis of Consequence of Sound noted Grande's skill in cadence change and a lasting relevancy through hope and resilience.

In NME, Nick Reilly complimented the track's "hugely infectious" chorus,[33] while Hannah Mylrea regarded it as euphoria and concluded, "Tackling hate and devastation with hope and disco, 'No Tears Left to Cry' is a triumph.

[35] Fact gave the track a score of 7.7 out of 10, describing it as "somber but triumphant and even though it includes cringy lyrics... it packs a punch.

"[37] Writing for Variety, Chris Willman called it "the breeziest, most danceable kind of post-traumatic recovery anthem", but said "it's not likely to ever be inducted into the Max Martin Hall of Fame".

It has all the elements of a first-rate Ariana Grande song — her iconic vocal range is stretched for all its worth, backed by a contagious shuffling beat — and adds a new strength to her resume: vulnerability.

[44][45] On the US Billboard Hot 100, "No Tears Left to Cry" debuted at number three (barred from the top by the Drake songs "Nice For What" and "God's Plan") with sales of 100,000 digital downloads sold in its opening week according to Nielsen Music, debuting atop the Billboard Hot Digital Songs becoming Grande's third chart-topper there.

[54] Grande also continued her record for being the first artist to debut within the opening ten positions of the chart with every lead single—"The Way", "Problem", and "Dangerous Woman"—of her first four studio albums.

[95][100] Grande wears six different outfits in the music video, including a voluminous green gown, satin minidress and Stuart Weitzman platform shoes.

[106] The video begins with an extended choral introduction and an evening bird's-eye view of a metropolis of skyscrapers sideways, overhead and underfoot.

[115] Similarly, MTV UK's Ross McNeilage said the video "perfectly encapsulates the dream-like euphoria of the song and is a beautiful, subtle tribute".

"[116] Charles Holmes of MTV likened it to visuals by M. C. Escher and praised the juxtaposition of moods, writing, "Instead of Ariana telling us her world was turned upside down the video shows us...

[14] Calin van Paris of Vogue called it "an Inception-style dreamworld", and regarded Grande's braided ponytail as "a surprising twist on a classic updo" and "a high-impact aesthetic".

[118] In Billboard magazine, Abby Jones viewed the visual as a spectacle, finding it "dazzling and dizzying",[103] while Shanté Honeycutt deemed it "a beautiful, mind-bending video".

[98] Spencer Kornhaber wrote in The Atlantic: The video ... is lush and transporting, aestheticizing the idea of one's feet searching for solid ground.

[120] Grande first performed "No Tears Left to Cry" during Kygo's set at the second weekend of Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 20, 2018.