"Boyfriend" is a collaboration between Ariana Grande and Social House, a pop duo comprising Pittsburgh natives Michael "Mikey" Foster and Charles "Scootie" Anderson. The pair have production credits on several of Grande's other hits, including "Thank U, Next" and "7 Rings." They were also an opening act, alongside Normani, on her Sweetener Tour.

Lyrically, the song is about those vulnerable feelings when you're unsure how much to commit to the relationship. I ain't your girlfriend But you don't want me to touch nobody else Baby, we ain't gotta tell nobody Grande, Mikey and Scootie are unwilling to define the budding romance as a relationship.

Replying to a fan who asked about the track's inspiration on Twitter, Grande said: "I feel like this song captures a common theme in the lives of so many people I know. People want to feel love but don't want to define their relationship and have trouble fully committing or trusting or allowing themselves to fully love someone. Even though they want to." Grande went on to explain that she and Social House wanted to create something with a message: "We wanted to make something uplifting that captures that feeling of being afraid to take the leap and trust, being afraid of being hurt or feeling like you won't be enough for that person… but also how it feels to have crippling crush on someone."