"Mickey Woods from "Glamour" felt that "The Boys" is "just as rainbow-brite spaz-tastic as we've come to expect from Nicki," elaborating, "Kaleidoscopic in its scope, the song practically zig-zags through genres and rapid-fire rhyme schemes while somehow managing to sound catchy enough to give me one of those insta-sugar boosts that only the catchiest pop music can give."