Tate McRae uploaded a snippet of the song on TikTok a few days prior to its release, describing it as a sequel to her breakthrough 2020 single "You Broke Me First".

I love that in this song there is a lot of emotional meaning behind the lyrics, with very trappy, bright and contrasting production at the same time.

[5] She also compared the song to her track "You Broke Me First," describing "R U OK" as "the continued story of it, going into depth about the relationship from a person who's completely moved on.

[6] It was also featured on Mark Beaumont of The Guardian's list of tracks of the week and was said to give an update to the story told in You Broke Me First.

[7] Dork described the song as stunning, calling it an "unstoppable slice of heartbreak pop" and a "hypnotic and smooth new anthem".