Cool to Be You became the fourth Descendents release to chart, reaching No. 143 on the Billboard 200 and No. 6 amongst independent albums. Al Campbell of Allmusic rated it four stars out of five, commenting that "Like the Ramones before them, the Descendents' overall sound tends to be interchangeable, in the best possible way, with previous efforts. Why mess with a good thing? For instance, among these 14 tracks, 'Nothing with You' can be compared to 'Clean Sheets,' while 'Cool to Be You' and 'Mass Nerder' are anthems à la 'I'm Not a Loser' and 'I Don't Want to Grow Up.