Since the album's original release, "Marquee Moon" has been cited by rock critics as one of the greatest records of the American punk rock movement, with Mark Weingarten of "Entertainment Weekly" calling it the masterpiece of the 1970s New York punk rock scene. According to English writer Clinton Heylin, "Marquee Moon" marked the end of the New York scene's peak period, while "Spin" said it was the CBGB era's "best and most enduring record" and ranked it as the sixth-greatest album of all time in its April 1989 issue. "Q" included it in the magazine's 2002 list of the 100 greatest punk records, while writer Colin Larkin ranked it ninth and "Mojo" ranked it 35th on similar lists. The album has often been voted high in critics polls of the greatest debuts and has also been named one of the greatest records of the 1970s by "NME", who ranked it tenth, and "Pitchfork", who ranked it third.