Sasha Geffen of MTV News was complimentary with the track, noting that it "fits perfectly alongside other recent hits asking dudes to do their due diligence after dark, like Fifth Harmony's 'Work from Home'," and praising the "simmering instrumental from L.A. producer Burns." David Canfield of "Slate" praised G-Eazy for " complement[ing] Spears’ sound with seductive ease" and the song for "represent[ing] a return to form in its rhythm and in the singer’s sultry vocal command." Idolator staff gave the track an average rating of 6 out of 10, with Robbie Daw calling "pretty safe", Carl Williot naming it "the freshest she’s sounded since her pioneering molly-pop days in 2011," and Rachel Sonis remarking that "Britney is gunning for a radio hit here." Jeff Benjamin of Fuse observed that "the sweeping chorus boasts the playful, breathy coos that Brit has made a signature part of her discography and helps this stand out as a track to make Brit Army proud." Gerrick D. Kennedy of "Los Angeles Times" was also complimentary, praising Burns for crafting "a lush, down-tempo bedroom number that largely eschews the Vocoder and Auto-Tune effects that have dotted her most recent work." He called it "a song that allows the singer to sing — really sing" and noted that "Spears sounds better than she has in years," with her warm tone "commanding the track." Alim Kheraj of Digital Spy opined that "what's so refreshing is that Brit's signature vocals are given the space they need to shine; she sounds sexy, engaged and like she truly loves it." Kerensa Cadenas of "Complex" defined it as "fine [...] it's Britney meets 2016," noting that the song is "a bit melancholy but without fully becoming the #sadgirl dance pop of a Carly Rae Jepsen or Sky Ferreira." "Make Me..." debuted at number seventeen on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 chart, becoming her 34th Hot 100 entry and her sixth-highest debut, tying with Spears' debut single "...Baby One More Time". It sold 96,000 copies during its first week, causing a debut at number three on Digital Songs, with 5.3 million domestic streams and 20 million audience impression in airplay. On the Hot 100, it dropped down to number 52 the following week.