Billboard rated "Headstrong" the No. 1 modern rock and mainstream rock song of 2003. In September 2023, for the 35th anniversary of Modern Rock Tracks (which had been renamed to Alternative Airplay),[4]Billboard ranked the song at No. 60 on its list of the 100 most successful songs in the chart's history.[5] In 2018, an official poll by Ultimate Guitar saw the site's users rate "Headstrong" as having the fourth-worst riff of all time.[6]
A music video was produced for "Headstrong" which shows the band performing in front of a crowd. Paper and other debris are seen flying past in furious winds as the group plays in an urban nighttime setting, as well as a couple of teenagers arguing with the people they know, such as one teen getting into an argument with his father while they are in a car and the kid becomes fed up with his father's attitude and storms off as well as another teen quitting his job at a restaurant after getting pushed around by his boss; the two teens then join Trapt in the crowd. A third teen is seen walking through the crowd and eventually graffitis Trapt's logo on a wall. The video found considerable airplay on MTV2 and MMUSA upon release. The video was directed by Brian Scott Weber.
^Headstrong (US 7" vinyl liner notes). Trapt. Warner Bros. Records. 2002. 7-16534.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Headstrong (AUS CD Single liner notes). Trapt. Warner Bros. Records. 2003. 9362426212.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)