Written by Swift and producer Aaron Dessner, "Renegade" is an upbeat tune that blends indie pop and folk styles, driven by guitar, drums and strings.

Its subject matter discusses the toxic effects one's fears and mental health issues can have on their personal relationships, and the resulting confusion and indecision.

Justin lifted the song further into the heavens, and my brother's (Bryce Dessner) strings and drummer Jason Treuting add so much.

; I'm so grateful to Taylor for continuing to share her incredible talent with me and that we are still finding excuses to make music together.American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift collaborated with Aaron Dessner, the guitarist of American indie rock band the National, and Justin Vernon, the vocalist of Bon Iver, on her eighth and ninth studio albums released in 2020, Folklore and Evermore, respectively.

[5] On April 13, 2021, Vernon previewed new music on his Instagram account, in which he shared a brief clip of a forthcoming collaboration with Swift,[6] saying "that's the awesome Taylor one.

[26][27] Spin critic Josh Chesler called "Renegade" an indie pop "banger",[23] Lauren Huff of Entertainment Weekly dubbed it an earworm,[28] and Variety's Jonathan Cohen said the song continued "the more musically adventurous vein" of Swift's latest work with Dessner, using emotionally stirring couplets.

[24] Mary Siroky of the same publication said that the song's focus is "someone refusing to let love in", about "how many times someone can be turned away while waiting patiently for the subject of their affection to realize it's ok to ask for help, and, sometimes, for forgiveness".

[18] NPR's Stephen Thompson stated that Swift, in the song, "stares down a relationship that's become more toxic and labor-intensive than she'd been led to expect".

[31] Pitchfork's rock critic Quinn Moreland said "Renegade" combines Swift's "thoughtful" 2020 songwriting with the "exploratory landscape" of Dessner and Vernon, and found the relationship described in the song as "claustrophobic and tangled in anxiety to the point of mutual destruction", filled with "frustration and indecision", juxtaposed against a "bright and warm" composition.

[26] Savannah Roberts of Capital FM wrote "Renegade" depicts the effects mental health issues can have on "budding" relationships, and compared its lyrical style to Swift's older songs, such as "Call It What You Want" (2017) and "The Archer" (2019).

Club admired the indie direction of Swift's recent works, and remarked that "Renegade" does not contain the "hyper-specific details" of her 2020 albums, but "a more relatable track, one that rings true to anyone who's been with an inadequate partner."

Tenreyro added that Swift "undercuts the power of the person she's addressing—the one leading her on without being able to commit—by turning the tables and forcing them to confront their shit via her lyrical zingers.

"[27] Jon Pareles of The New York Times commended Swift's "melodic sense and personality", her abrupt and "symmetrical" phrases, and Dessner's production details, such as "multilayered drones, tendrils of electric and acoustic guitar", and Vernon's "distant" backing vocals.

[32] Billboard writer Jason Lipshutz said the sonic texture of "Renegade" derives from the works by the National, with its "all skittering beats and emotional warfare for adults", but Swift's imprint in that musical territory "remains thrilling, even after many months and multiple Bon Iver duets".