Upon its release, Puberty 2 received widespread acclaim from music critics, with many praising Mitski's emotional delivery and lyrically complex themes, which include longing, love, depression, alienation and racial identity.

[3] The album was recorded entirely in the now-defunct Acme Studios in Westchester, New York, over a two-week period with producer and longtime collaborator Patrick Hyland.

Mapes also noted Mitski's vocal delivery on the album to go through different "modes", including "deadpan disenfranchisement, smooth R&B, dream pop croon, gasping-for-breath pleas, [and] wall of harmonies (with herself)".

[7] Critics praised the album's more restrained and nuanced emotional trajectory, as well as its complex lyrical themes, which include longing, love, depression, alienation, and racial identity.

[10][18] Laura Snapes of NPR commented on the album's subtlety, writing that Puberty 2 "is a strike against the happy/sad poles that govern our lives.