Amidst pressures from climate change, frequent disasters, and urban-rural disparity, rural system vulnerability is escalating. Enhancing rural resilience is thus a critical path to sustainable development. This study investigates the mechanism through which digital village construction, via “digital empowerment,” strengthens rural resilience in less-developed regions. It proposes a theoretical framework encompassing digital infrastructure, application, literacy, and governance to analyze the multi-dimensional (economic, social, ecological, governance) enhancement of rural resilience by digital technologies. Findings reveal that digital empowerment significantly fortifies rural adaptability, recoverability, and transformability by optimizing resource allocation, enhancing social connectivity, and improving governance efficacy. However, structural challenges persist, including a deepening digital divide, technology-supply mismatch, and high project dependency. Accordingly, this paper proposes optimization pathways: inclusive policies centered on enhancing “capabilities,” participatory technology adaptation mechanisms, and resilient governance innovation. These aim to elevate digital empowerment from “incremental” to “transformative” resilience, offering theoretical and practical insights for comprehensive rural revitalization.