"Turn Down for What" is written in the E Phrygian mode and is set in common time at a moderate tempo of 100 beats per minute.

[9] It peaked at number 4 on the chart, becoming DJ Snake's first and Lil Jon's ninth top ten, and was certified gold in February 2014.

"[15] The Guardian music editor Ben Beaumont-Thomas called the song "magnificently shallow" and described it as "three choruses enjambed with energy-ramping bridges, using Lil Jon’s yelling as cement.

9, tied with Beyoncé's "Flawless", on The Village Voice's annual year-end Pazz & Jop critics' poll for 2014.

[17] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times named "Turn Down for What" as an example of rappers "with real tension and grit in their voices" pivoting to dance music rather than hip-hop.

[18] In December 2014, a seven-critic panel for Billboard had five with positive feedback, for instance "the perfect club banger" from Myles Tanzer.

"[21] Edwin Ortiz of Complex called it "incredibly absurd and awesome" and wrote, "The hard-hitting EDM record delivers an undeniable vibe that listeners can't help but mosh out to, and that's clearly evident in the accompanying music video.

It also received 3 additional nominations for MTV Clubland Award, Best Visual Effects and Best Art Direction.

Uses include a TV commercial for Sol Republic, to introduce a wireless speaker, which aired in October 2013.

[32] The song was used in the films 22 Jump Street, Furious 7 and The Angry Birds Movie 2, and in the trailers for Horrible Bosses 2[33] and Brick Mansions.

[38] In Alphacat's original post Michelle Obama was asked, "On average how many calories do you burn every time you 'turn up'?!"

[39] In December 2014, a portion of the song was used in an AT&T Wireless commercial announcing the "completion" of their network export's goal of providing improved LTE connectivity.

4 night event, which promoted new episodes of Liv and Maddie, Dog With a Blog, Jessie, Austin & Ally, I Didn't Do It, Girl Meets World, and K.C.

[citation needed] In April 2017, the song was featured in a Saturday Night Live commercial parody called "Turtle Shirt".

[citation needed] In 2021, "Turn Down for What" was used as the soundtrack in a series of TV commercials for British Gas which focused on sustainability.

[45] In 2024, Lil Jon performed "Turn Down For What" at the 2024 Democratic National Convention during Georgia's roll call as part of the nomination of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.