Critical reception

AllMusic editor Jose F. Promis called the song "one of the 1990s' quintessential dance tunes".[8]
Victor Beigelman from The A.V. Club noted it as a "Europop banger that more than 20 years
later remains relentlessly catchy and far more profound than it ever had any right to be."[9] Larry
Flick from Billboard described it as a "glorious pop/house ditty" and noted that "wildly catchy
chorus is complemented by a slick, synth-happy arrangement. Haddaway will conjure up images
of Seal and Sydney Youngblood with his worldly baritone delivery. A sure-fire dance hit that has
the muscle to push its way onto pop formats with ease."[10] Columbia Daily Spectator wrote that
the song "will transport you instantly to the golden age of house music."[11] Dave Sholin from the
Gavin Report commented, "Try sitting still seconds after this upbeat entry kicks in." He also
noted that Haddaway's style is "reminscent of the Fine Young Cannibals and just as exciting."[12]
Mike Wood from Idolator called it a "catchy" anthem that "permeated our collective
consciousness given the heavily-repeated airplay".[13] Music & Media said that the song has a
"fast house beat augmented by Nestor Haddaway's deeply soulful vocals. This is definitely on
par with anything that has come out of Chicago's deep house scene for quite some time."[14]
Wendi Cermak from The Network Forty described it as "splendiferous" and noted that "the
eargasmic synth stabs in the extended mix are pulling even odds in Vegas for Dance-floor-filling
capability and the edit screams for radio airplay..."[15] Luke Turner from The Quietus wrote that
"What Is Love" "bangs because it manages to be two things - a terrific soul tune but also rather
stern as well, with infernally naggy synth lines and drilled repetition in the rhythms."[16]

Music video
The music video of "What Is Love" was directed by German music video director Volker
Hannwacker.[17] The video was uploaded to YouTube in June 2014. In September 2020, it has got
more than 103 million views.[18]