James Oldham of
NME called "My Own Worst Enemy" "totally loathsome, poisonous stuff, but quite addictive." The song was a late inclusion on
NME "20 Essential Pop Punk Tracks Everyone Should Know" list. It was featured on
Fuse's "14 Best Pop-Punk One-Hit Wonders", and the channel called the song "self-deprecating and catchy". "My Own Worst Enemy" appeared on the
Phoenix New Times "10 Best Pop-Punk Songs of All Time" list. Daniel J. Katz of
The Tech criticized the song's parent album: "Recipe for a one-hit wonder: Start with
Eve 6/
Harvey Danger style
power pop that’s already been done to death. Turn the guitars way up and turn the creativity way down. What you’re left with is a weak collection of songs that are listenable, but bland. This particular collection is from a band called Lit, and it’s called
A Place In The Sun (RCA)." Katz continued, "The aforementioned one hit on the album is 'My Own Worst Enemy. A week earlier, Katz wrote that "My Own Worst Enemy" "is a great song because of its simplicity and short duration".
Stereogum's Dan Weiss called it a "charmingly lunkheaded drunk-regrets anthem." Fuse said, My Own Worst Enemy' is self-deprecating and catchy, like all good sad
boy band music. The opening line, 'Can we forget about the things I said when I was drunk? / I didn't mean to call you that' might be the most pop-punk verse ever written".
Spectrum Culture placed "My Own Worst Enemy" sixth on its "Top 10 Pop Punk and Power Pop Songs of the Modern Era" list. According to
Spectrum Culture, with "My Own Worst Enemy" Lit "demonstrates the adolescent fallouts that can occur from a post-high school life". In
CMJ New Music Report review of
A Place in the Sun, "My Own Worst Enemy" was on its recommended-tracks list. Becky Kirsch of
PopSugar called the song an "awesome '90s" hit. "My Own Worst Enemy" became a popular song to choose for
karaoke.
American Songwriter reports that the song ranks "among the most broadcasted, karaoked, and covered songs in music history." It was considered a seminal alternative rock hit: "The song remains a happy milestone of modern rock's heyday, and to this day, it's played on many rock radio stations," wrote Timothy Malcom of the
Times Herald-Record. One
Tennessean profile recognizes its cross-generational appeal, observing that it is popular with
millennials and
generation Z alike. A
Consequence ranking of best alternative hits admits it's "a piece of ‘90s nostalgia and a top-notch karaoke jam." ==Commercial performance==