Nine Inch Nails (abbreviated as NIN) is an industrial rock band founded in Cleveland, Ohio 1988 by Trent Reznor.

As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its musical direction.

NIN's music straddles a wide range of musical genres and modes, while retaining a characteristically intense sound through instruments and a heavy use of electronics and electronic processing techniques.

After recording a new album, Reznor usually assembles a live band to perform with him; this live component is a separate entity from Nine Inch Nails in the recording studio.

The band produced several highly influential records in the 1990s that achieved widespread popularity and won two Grammy Awards. Many Nine Inch Nails songs became radio hits, and the RIAA has certified the sale of over 10.5 million units of the band's albums in the United States.

In 2004, Rolling Stone placed Nine Inch Nails at 94 on their list of the 100 greatest music artists of all time. Despite this acclaim, the band has had several feuds with the corporate side of the recording industry.

In the past, NIN released major studio albums infrequently; remixes and live albums bridged these gaps in the band's catalog. Reznor cites his personal issues as the cause of these delays, and his songs often confront dark explorations of the self.

The most recent Nine Inch Nails album, Year Zero, is an exception to the usually introspective nature of Reznor's songwriting and the long gestation periods between major releases.