 David Sinclair of The Times and Anthony DeCurtis of Rolling Stone both felt that "Zooropa" set the album's tone from the start. DeCurtis described Bono's singing and lyrics as a "Mephistophelean seducer". Allmusic compared "Zooropa" to the anthems of U2's The Joshua Tree album, and Entertainment Weekly's David Browne described the song as "'Where the Streets Have No Name' transported into the land of cyberpunk", comparing parts of the song to the techno and metallic music genres. The Independent felt "Zooropa" was "a sprawling multi-sectioned piece that drifts from two minutes of gentle radio babble into a more familiar reverb-rock structure". Jon Pareles from The New York Times said that the track was reminiscent of old U2 songs, but added new elements such as distorted vocals and repeating guitar squealing. Daily Variety praised the title track over the rest of the songs on the album, stating how it was the only song that "explores the sort of melodic range usually associated with U2".
