[1] During the sessions, Mike Dirnt asked the frontman Billie Joe Armstrong to write a song with a "four-on-the-floor" rhythm.

[10] "Kill the DJ" is a dance-punk song that Armstrong states is close to "straight-up dance music" with a four-on-the-floor rhythm; he compared the overall production of the song to the Clash's 1980 album, Sandinista!, Ian Dury's "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll," and Tom Tom Club's "Genius of Love".

[2] Michael Roffman of Consequence of Sound compared the song with the works of the Rapture, and the Clash's 1982 album, Combat Rock; he said it was "strictly for basement dancefloors everywhere".

[12] According to Armstrong, the lyrics of "Kill the DJ" can be considered as "a sweeping political statement" rather than being interpreted as "a comment on electronic music figures".

He compared "Kill the DJ" to "The Static Age", a song on Green Day's album 21st Century Breakdown (2009), which was "a foaming-at-the-mouth guitar rant that everyone—pundits, politicians, celebrities—should stop babbling and shut up".

[8] He added, "[Kill the DJ] drops some cursory nods to war and religion in the opening bars, but soon brings the imagery of waterboarding and torture straight into the dance club".

[18] "Kill the DJ" was included in Zane Lowe's Hottest Tracks of 2012; it finished second, while "Calling (Lose My Mind)" by Sebastian Ingrosso and Alesso came first.

[19] Jack Brad, writing for Hive Magazine, said the song was a "fun and funky" track showcasing a different musical direction for the band.

He also said it encompassed a "catchy melody and ... infectious chorus" that proves the band was capable of experimenting with new musical styles on every new production, citing Warning (2000) and Nimrod (1997) as examples.

Rather, this is an assault against the dubbed-out sound that seems to be dominating today’s air waves, Green Day’s own and only pretend bloody dubstep demolition.

'I'll pick up what's left in the club,' Armstrong sings suspiciously, and the video released Tuesday doesn't do much to present the song as a statement".