Musically, "I Hate the 90's" follows a standard punk rock form. The intro consists of a rising drum beat, accompanied by bass, and FX'd guitar riffs and transcends in to a repeatative riff used throughout the verses of the song. The chorus uses barre chords and heavy use of cymbals and immediately climaxes and stops before the song's refrain "I hate the 90's!" The bridge is composed of alternative guitar tunings played in an experimental style, possibly written by Thurston Moore, as Sonic Youth are known for their use of alternate tunings.
