In 2012, Stereogum ranked it the band's best album, writing: "If "post-punk" were a descriptive term rather than a genre invented by journalists, "The Argument" might be one of the only albums worthy of such a distinction. [...] Only after repeat listens does the album emerge as a definitive statement alongside "Daydream Nation", "Zen Arcade", or "Kid A". Weird, wonky and wonderful, "The Argument" is Fugazi's masterpiece." The album was positively re-evaluated by many sources prior to the release of "First Demo" in 2014. The band was included on Consequence of Sound's list of "10 Artists Who Went Out on Their Best Album", with the website writing that "The Argument" "opens up and reveals itself as a blossoming of the band’s entire career output, shot through with piano, cello, and (yes) acoustic guitar driving some of the fiercest songs Guy Picciotto or MacKaye have wrought together or apart." In an op-ed on the band, "Alternative Press" wrote that "last (not final; remember they’re on hiatus) album [... found Fugazi as vital, relevant and tuneful than ever. And then that was it: The screen went blank, without build-up or forewarning, as quiet as that album’s title track." "f their first two EPs and "Repeater" were propaganda to some — releases that commanded the listener to do or not do certain things —" observed Tiny Mix Tapes, "then "The Argument" was a question mark to all, inviting listeners to hear the band’s point of view and get them to think for themselves."