Jimmy Draper, reviewer of Allmusic, awarded the album 3 stars, stating that Excuse Seventeen is an "impressive debut, surging forward with a live-wire energy and stark honesty that helped make the riot grrrl scene so compelling in the first place."[1] However, he also felt that the album can sound dated at times, with the exception of the tracks "Carson", "Imaginary Friend", "Hope You Feel Bad", and "Code Red", which were said to have "wonderfully withstood the test of time."[1]