"TKO" was written and produced by Justin Timberlake, Timbaland and Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon, with James Fauntleroy also serving as co-writer of the track.
Lyrically, "TKO" leans heavy on boxing metaphors, specially with the title "TKO", which means technical knockout, to describe the feeling of being knocked out when he sees his ex out with another guy,[REF] with lines like "I'm out for the count, yeah girl you knock me out."[REF]