On AllMusic, David Jeffries wrote that "Young, Wild &amp; Free" had a more contemporary, friendly sound that the rest of the album; the single is "polished, bright and sunshine material". In another album review, Michael Madden of "Consequence of Sound" considered it one of the few songs good enough for a soundtrack due to the "smooth pop vocals of Bruno Mars and glitzy Hollywood production". "The A.V. Club"s Chris Martins praised the single's "sharp keys and lite Jackson 5 bounce" in comparison with the other, G-Funk songs on the soundtrack. The song was nominated for Best Rap Song at the 2013 Grammy Awards and was one of the winners of Most Performed Songs at the 2013 ASCAP Pop Music Awards. According to a "Billboard" list measuring a song's "inebriated energy on a scale of one (mildly buzzed) to 10 (totally stoned)", "Young, Wild &amp; Free" received a seven; according to the "Billboard" staff, it could be appreciated by "serious stoners" and anyone else because of its playfulness. In a similar list compiled by David Opie, writing for "Highsnobiety", he ranked the song among "The 10 Most Essential Rap Songs About Weed".