Smashing Pumpkins

The Smashing Pumpkins (also simply known as Smashing Pumpkins)[note 1] are an American alternative rock band formed in Chicago in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D’arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. The band has undergone several line-up changes since their reunion in 2006, with Corgan being the primary songwriter and sole constant member since its inception. The current lineup consists of Corgan, Iha, and Chamberlin. The band is known for its diverse, densely layered sound, which evolved throughout their career and has integrated elements of gothic rock, heavy metal, grunge, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, shoegaze, dream pop, and electronica.

The band’s debut album, Gish (1991), was well-received by critics and became an underground success. In the advent of alternative rock’s mainstream breakthrough, their second album, Siamese Dream (1993), established the band’s popularity. Despite a tumultuous recording process, the album received widespread acclaim and has been lauded as one of the best albums in the genre. Their third album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995), furthered the band’s popularity; it debuted atop the Billboard 200, received a Diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and continued the band’s critical success. After the release of Adore (1998) and a two-part project in 2000—Machina and Machina II—the group disbanded due to internal conflicts, drug use, and diminishing sales by the end of the 1990s. With 30 million albums sold worldwide, the Smashing Pumpkins were among the most critically and commercially successful bands of the 1990s, and an important act in the popularization of alternative rock.