[13][14][11][15] The track features acoustic guitar and piano, marimba tones, soulful singing, rapping and multiple changes in time signature.
[6][19][20] AllMusic's Neil Z Yeung wrote, "Despite the intensity of some of the lyrics, when one focuses strictly on the music, it's a party... Joseph strums his ukulele to effective measure on 'The Judge'.
"[8] Sharing similar sentiments, Anne Nickoloff and Troy Smith from The Plain Dealer stated, "Of all the Twenty One Pilots ukulele-based songs, 'The Judge' stands out on top with its free-flying vocals and lyrical storytelling.
By the end of the song, the light strumming collides with a playful piano singalong bop—a needed sonic contrast to the darker themes on the rest of Blurryface.
"[15] Writing for Eagle News Online, Ashley Wolf favorably compared "The Judge" to that of Jason Mraz's music, claiming it was "the most pop-sounding song on the album.
He said, "What it is is the best pure pop song the band has come up with yet, taking the simple ukulele folk of Vessel's "House of Gold" and sculpting it into summer singalong nirvana.
"[13] Jason Pettigrew, from the same publication, added, "This classic from Blurryface is totally awesome for one great reason: Dun makes it swing from revival meeting to teenage dance party.
'"[20] Writing for Gapers Block, Zac Blumenfeld praised the song's music, saying, "Joseph has found a masterful way to connect with people their age and become their inner demons, expressing blithe despair through his ukulele in 'The Judge.
"[5] Conversely, Rolling Stone Australia writer Rod Yates unfavorably compared the song's style to that of American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz.
...'The Judge' bops along like a polite ukulele ditty, then lodges permanently in your brain when Tyler Joseph pounds the ivories and drops an immaculate falsetto hook.
[9] Before an audience of the thousands who were wearing beanie hats, they performed on a stage with red and white lighting, creating a dark yet warm atmosphere.
[9] Twenty One Pilots provided a live rendition of "The Judge" at the Aragon Ballroom when WKQX hosted the first of its four "Nights We Stole Christmas" concerts on December 3, 2015.
[25] The band provided a live performance of "The Judge" for the fifteenth consecutive sold-out concert at The BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida during their Bandito Tour on November 4, 2018.