Earth welcomes alien back with less fanfare, perhaps (5)
I believe the answer is:
muted
'less fanfare perhaps' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.
'earth welcomes alien back' is the wordplay.
'earth' becomes 'mud' (mud is a kind of earth).
'welcomes' is an insertion indicator (in sense of 'invites in').
'alien' becomes 'et' (extra terrestrial).
'back' is a reversal indicator.
'et' back-to-front is 'te'.
'mud' enclosing 'te' is 'MUTED'.
'with' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for muted that I've seen before include "Not loud" , "Softened (of sound or colour)" , "with reduced volume" , "Quietened" , "low-key" .)