"The Weekend" is a song by American singer SZA from her debut studio album, Ctrl (2017). It was written by SZA and its producer ThankGod4Cody. The song samples "Set the Mood (Prelude)" from FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006), written by Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, and Danja, who also received writing credits for "The Weekend". "The Weekend" is an R&B and neo soul record that uses a synth-line, hi-hats, drums, a high-pitched vocal sample and clocking key thumps. SZA sings about knowingly being her partner's mistress, comparing herself to the weekend.

Prior to its official release, "The Weekend" debuted on some Billboard charts. The unexpected popularity of the song prompted RCA Records to release it on September 26, 2017, as the album's second radio single. The song reached number 29 on Billboard Hot 100, becoming SZA's first and highest chart position with a solo song until the releases of "I Hate U" and "Kill Bill", which reached numbers seven and one. It also topped the Hot R&B Songs chart and was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on March 1, 2018. "The Weekend" received a Grammy nomination at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.

Its accompanying music video, directed by American musician Solange Knowles, was released on December 22, 2017. To promote "The Weekend", SZA performed the song on Saturday Night Live and at the 2017 BET Awards. SZA also performed the song during her first headlining concert tour, "CTRL". A remixed version of the song by Calvin Harris was released on December 15, 2017, with the title, "The Weekend - Funk Wav Remix".

Producer ThankGod4Cody was given the idea to Sample Justin Timberlake's "Set the Mood (Prelude)" (2006) by Script. After being handed the sample, ThankGod4Cody added some chords, a "glittery layer" and bass. He then presented the initial production to SZA, who enjoyed the sample. SZA wrote the lyrics in a few hours the following day, and shared the results with ThankGod4Cody, who was surprised by the lyrics about sharing a man in a relationship. After experimenting with the track's instrumental, ThankGod4Cody clipped the vocals from the sample, moved them to the beginning of the song, added drums and reverberation, and finally placed the song's snares, hi-hats, and a cymbal.

SZA's vocals were recorded at Platinum Sounds Studios in New York City. The song was mixed by Derek Ali, and later mastered by Mike Bozzi at Bernie Grundman Mastering. In the U.S., "The Weekend" was sent to urban and rhythmic contemporary radio stations on September 26 and October 31, 2017, respectively.

"The Weekend" is a song characterized by a soft, slow-burning melody that runs throughout its four minutes and thirty-two seconds. Its sultry production draws from contemporary R&B and 1990s neo soul music genres. Built around a synth-line, the song is completed with finger-snaps, key thumps that resemble the sound of a ticking clock, hi-hats and a high-pitched vocal sample. Lyrically, "The Weekend" is about polyamory. SZA sings about sharing her romantic partner with other women; she finds herself in the perspective of a woman who only sees her partner at weekends while others have him during the week. Some online publications called the song's narrator a "side chick", but according to SZA, "The Weekend" is about sharing a man with two other women at the same time. She sings in the hook, "My man is my man is your man / Heard it's her man too". For her, this song is about feeling empowered in a situation in which the narrator's lover tries to play her. In interview with Vulture.com she said:

So in this song, I'm opting in. Like, I know you have a bunch of girls, probably. Maybe you're not being honest with me—I just know that you have mad girls—and I still don't care, because I didn't want to be your girlfriend anyway! I'm not internalizing the way that you're acting as a disrespect towards me, it doesn't make me any less because you're not my boyfriend. And like, you're not her boyfriend, and you're not her boyfriend. You're just out here wildin'.

The song's producer Thank4GodCody considered its concept "crazy"; speaking to Genius he said: "I would have never thought it would have went that way. She really just did her thing on there, really came with a concept that's controversial on some levels. It's cool, because at least it's starting a conversation, and it's getting people's attention." Pitchfork's Claire Lovenfeld wrote that SZA performs the song with "a tone of both freedom and a muted sadness over settling". Jessica McKinney of Vibe viewed its lyrical content as a "not-so-typical message of women empowerment", and said that instead of giving control to her lover, SZA is "forging a deal with the other woman that (hopefully) works for both of them". A Billboard editor observed that in "The Weekend", SZA "finds herself as falling into sidepiece behavior". As the song advances, its original instrumental disappears and it becomes more uptempo where she sings, "bright ideas, we got bright ideas" over a thumbing percussion and backing chants. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Alfred Publishing Co., Inc., "The Weekend" is written in the key of B major and is played in a "laid back" groove of 102 beats per minute. SZA's vocals range from the note of F♯₃ to G₅. It follows the chord progression of Bmaj7–Amaj7–Dmaj7–Cmaj7 in the verses and G♯7–G7♭5 during the chorus.