Decarbonization of the transportation sector is crucial for achieving net-zero emissions, but electrification is not yet feasible for aviation, shipping, and long-haul trucking [1]. Energy-dense liquid fuels are needed to power large vehicles, and carbon-neutral biofuels are a promising alternative to fossil fuels. Lignocellulosic biomass, which is plant dry matter consisting of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, is abundant and can be used as a carbon-neutral biofuel feedstock. Pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis are used to release glucose and xylose from the biomass, which can then be fermented by microbes to produce relevant biomolecules. To date, the most common product is ethanol, which can be used directly as a fuel or used as a precursor for jet fuel and other valuable chemicals [2]. The bacterium Zymomonas mobilis is a robust chassis organism for bioethanol production because low biomass production allows it to ferment glucose to ethanol with up to 97% efficiency [3]. Z. mobilis also has other traits that make it ideal for large-scale fermentations, including high tolerance to ethanol [4], ability to flocculate [5], and resistance to contamination by other microorganisms [6]. This review will focus on the current genetic tools and metabolic engineering strategies to optimize Z. mobilis for biomolecule production.