The album's music features the styles of industrial rock, electro-industrial, electronic, and digital hardcore. Reznor called "Year Zero" a "shift in direction" in that it "doesn't sound like "With Teeth"". He also said that when he finishes a new album, he has to "go into battle with the people whose job it is to figure out how to sell the record. The only time that didn't happen was "With Teeth". This time, however, [he was expecting an epic struggle. ["Year Zero"] is not a particularly friendly record and it certainly doesn't sound like anything else out there right now."