Origin Cleveland, Ohio, US Genre(s): Industrial rock, industrial metal, alternative rock Years active 1988–present Nine Inch Nails (abbreviated as NIN) is an American industrial rock music group, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction.NIN's music straddles a wide range of genres