Commercially, the album was moderately successful, reaching the top ten in 13 countries, including the US, where it peaked at number nine on the Billboard 200.

Some of the album pressings also included the single "Feel Good Time" from the soundtrack for the movie Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.

Wanting to expand more on the rock sound she explored with Missundaztood, Pink sought out producers and writers that had experience within the genre.

Most of the tracks on Try This were produced and co-written by punk band Rancid singer and guitarist Tim Armstrong, whom Pink met through a mutual friend at a Transplants video shoot.

The album includes a collaboration with electroclash artist Peaches, "Oh My God", and Pink's contribution to the Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle film soundtrack, "Feel Good Time" (produced by and featuring William Orbit), as a non-U.S. bonus track.

Musically, Try This is a pop/rock & roll album,[2] which incorporates elements of punk rock ("Trouble"),[3] R&B ("Catch Me While I'm Sleeping", "Love Song"),[4][5] new wave and disco ("Humble Neighborhoods").

In 2003, "Catch Me While I'm Sleeping" was issued as a promotional single in the U.S.;[6] in the same period, a promo CD-R acetate of "Humble Neighborhoods" was made available in the UK.

"[2] Blender critic James Slaughter felt that "with her third album, Pink has smartly navigated a way to be heard over the mass moaning that has followed her [...] The guitars are raunchier, the lyrics more potty-mouthed [but] the music never loses its melodic touch, whether essaying the gutsy rock or glossy Philly R&B balladry.

"[4] Nick Catucci from The Village Voice noted that the album "dares Pink's huge but hardly guaranteed audience to hear the world her way — without wasting one moment on indulgent experimentation, rote grandstanding, or retreats into conformism [...]" Assisted by soft crusty-punk Tim Armstrong, Try This is a rare leap of faith — a miracle of pop.

"[15] David Browne, writing for Entertainment Weekly, gave the album a positive review and called it "A hooky, engaging throwaway that expands Pink's range while holding on fiercely to her irascible inner child."

However, he was less impressed with Perry's contributions on Try This, further noting: "Maybe Pink isn't very different from her teen-pop refugees: She's a rebel only to a point, and she's more than willing to compromise her rawness for crossover pop success.