"riot!" received generally positive reviews from music critics. according to metacritic, the album holds a score of 67 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews" based on 8 reviews. jason lymangrover of allmusic stated "filled with crossover potential, the songs are consistent and zippy with catchy hooks in the vein of boys like girls fronted by a young shirley manson." at "stylus magazine", jonathan bradley opined that ""riot!" is immediately appealing because it focuses on sounds that have been neglected by the genre's front-runners. this is an uncomplicated album of strikingly uncomplicated music, entirely lacking in 15 word song titles." bradley also compared it to the "better songs" from kelly clarkson and avril lavigne. gareth dobson at "drowned in sound" observed "at 38 minutes long, it's mercifully brief, but still manages to feel like a double album for those who endure it. that is, those who don't manage to forget that it's on the stereo at all. people, get your pop-punk thrills somewhere else. at least somewhere where there are actual thrills to be had."