...finally

The album was produced by William Wittman, who had joined Too Much Joy after producing the band's previous album, Mutiny.[5]

The band used a sample of Alan Arkin remarking "uh, oh, too much joy," from the movie Simon; although both the album and the film were produced for Warner Bros., the corporation charged the band to use the sample.[6][7]

The cover of the album, by artist Doug Allen, depicts a cartoon rendering of a man and woman moments after engaging in sex.[8] A second cover was used to obscure the image for retail.[9]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[10]
Boston Herald	[11]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[12]
San Antonio Express-News	[13]

Trouser Press thought that "the overpowering, sometimes nearly generic music obscures the progress, but ...finally benefits from an organic focus not found on the others."[14] The Virginian-Pilot called the album "angst-driven rock 'n' roll, but with a catch ... The music is loud, but not angry."[15] The Columbus Dispatch considered that "like most sophomoric acts, Joy flounders when it aims for seriousness ... but the group's Ramones-ish pop/punk carries the day."[16] The San Antonio Express-News stated that "instead of the quirky rock that has served it well, Too Much Joy gives us an entire album's worth of imitation pop-punk in general and Green Day in particular."[13]

The Houston Press determined that "the immediate tone is grumpy and sarcastic, but less typical is the hopelessness often evident underneath."[17] The Delaware County Daily Times concluded that the "subject matter veers from preachy, to political and pointless ... But through it all, the music's rambunctious, deliriously catchy style wins out."[18] The Boston Herald warned: "Too Much Joy is threatening to become the Replacements of the '90s: a group so dedicated to planned adolescence that it just might seal its own doom."[11]

AllMusic wrote that "the group are rejuvenated here, replacing the production gloss of their last couple of albums with the sort of punk-inflected buzzsaw guitar pop that had enlivened 1989's Son of Sam I Am, only with a better sense of melody."[10] MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide opined that frontman Tim Quirk "downplays humor for rebellious introspection—like James Taylor fronting a punk band or something."[19]