Early years: 1988–1991 in 1992 After the breakup of his
gothic rock and metal band the Marked, singer and guitarist Billy Corgan left
St. Petersburg, Florida and returned to his native city of Chicago, where he took a job in a record store and had the idea to start a band called the Smashing Pumpkins. While working at the store he met guitarist
James Iha. Adorning themselves with
paisley and other psychedelic trappings, the two began writing songs (with the aid of a
drum machine) which were heavily influenced by
the Cure and
New Order. The duo performed live for the first time on July 9, 1988, at the Polish bar Chicago 21. This performance included only Corgan on bass and Iha on guitar with a drum machine. Shortly thereafter, Corgan met
D'arcy Wretzky after a show by the
Dan Reed Network where they argued the merits of a band. After finding out that Wretzky played bass guitar, Corgan got her to join the band and the trio played a show at the Avalon Nightclub. After the show,
Cabaret Metro owner Joe Shanahan agreed to book the band on the condition that they replace the drum machine with a live drummer.
Jazz drummer
Jimmy Chamberlin was recommended by a friend of Corgan's. The band recorded their 1991 debut studio album,
Gish, with producer
Butch Vig at his
Smart Studios in
Madison, Wisconsin, for . In order to gain the consistency he desired, Corgan often played all instruments excluding drums, which created tension in the band. The music fused
heavy metal guitars,
psychedelia, and
dream pop, garnering them comparisons to
Jane's Addiction.
Gish became a minor success, with the single "
Rhinoceros" receiving some airplay on
modern rock radio. After releasing the
Lull EP in October 1991 on Caroline Records, the band formally signed with
Virgin Records, which was affiliated with Caroline. writing some songs for the upcoming album in the parking garage where he lived at the time.
Mainstream breakout and Siamese Dream: 1992–1994 With the breakthrough of alternative rock into the American mainstream due to the popularity of
grunge bands such as
Nirvana and
Pearl Jam, the Smashing Pumpkins were poised for major commercial success. At this time, the Smashing Pumpkins were routinely lumped in with the grunge movement, with Corgan protesting, "We've graduated now from 'the next Jane's Addiction' to 'the next Nirvana', now we're 'the next Pearl Jam'." in 1995 Amid this environment of intense internal pressure for the band to break through to widespread popularity, the band relocated to
Marietta, Georgia, in late 1992 to begin work on their second album, with Butch Vig returning as producer. The contemporary music press began to portray Corgan as a tyrant. Corgan's depression, meanwhile, had deepened to the point where he contemplated suicide, and he compensated by practically living in the studio. Meanwhile, Chamberlin quickly managed to find new connections and was often absent without any contact for days at a time. Alongside the band's mounting mainstream recognition, the band's reputation as
careerists among their former peers in the
independent music community was worsened. Former
Hüsker Dü frontman
Bob Mould called them "the grunge
Monkees",
Fred Armisen said the band simply "flew past us" in the 90s Chicago music scene after his own band
Trenchmouth had produced five albums. The opening track and lead single of
Siamese Dream, "
Cherub Rock", directly addresses Corgan's feud with the "indie-world". In spite of the backlash,
Siamese Dream is often regarded as one of the greatest albums of the alternative rock genre, and one of the best albums of the 1990s. In 1994 Virgin released the
B-sides/rarities compilation
Pisces Iscariot which charted higher than
Siamese Dream by reaching number four on the
Billboard 200. Also released was a VHS cassette titled
Vieuphoria featuring a mix of live performances and behind-the-scenes footage. For Christmas 1994 Corgan gave ten copies of an informally self-released five-CD box set,
Mashed Potatoes, to close friends of the band. It contained early demos, interview snippets and live recordings dating from 1988 to 1993. Music journalist Ned Raggett called it "the holy grail of Smashing Pumpkins collectibles for the hardcore fanatic". It became available online in the early 2000s.
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness: 1995–1997 on Long Island in January 1997, featuring a shaved head and his iconic "Zero" shirt During 1995, Corgan wrote about 56 songs, following which the band went into the studio with producers
Flood and
Alan Moulder to work on what Corgan described as "
The Wall for
Generation X", and which became
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, a double album of twenty-eight songs, lasting over two hours (the vinyl version of the album contained three records, two extra songs, and an alternate track listing). The songs were intended to hang together conceptually as a symbol of the cycle of life and death.
Mellon Collie debuted at number one on the
Billboard 200 in October 1995. Even more successful than
Siamese Dream, it was certified ten times platinum in the United States and became the best-selling double album of the decade. It also garnered seven
1997 Grammy Award nominations, including Album of the Year. The band won only the
Best Hard Rock Performance award, for the album's lead single "
Bullet with Butterfly Wings". The album spawned five singles—"Bullet with Butterfly Wings", "
1979", "
Zero", "
Tonight, Tonight" which Corgan stated was inspired by the
Cheap Trick song "I'll Be with You Tonight", and "
Thirty-Three"—of which the first three were certified gold and all but "Zero" entered the Top 40. Many of the songs that did not make it onto
Mellon Collie were released as B-sides to the singles, and were later compiled in
The Aeroplane Flies High box set. The set was originally limited to 200,000 copies, but more were produced to meet demand. In 1996 the Pumpkins undertook an extended world tour in support of
Mellon Collie. Corgan's look during this period—a shaved head, a long-sleeve black shirt with the word "Zero" printed on it, and silver pants—became iconic. That year, the band also made a guest appearance in an episode of
The Simpsons, "
Homerpalooza". With considerable video rotation on MTV, major industry awards, and "Zero" shirts selling in many malls, the Pumpkins were considered one of the most popular bands of the time. In May, the Smashing Pumpkins played a gig at the
Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. Despite the band's repeated requests for
moshing to stop, a seventeen-year-old fan named Bernadette O'Brien was crushed to death. The concert ended early and the following night's performance in Belfast was cancelled out of respect for her. However, while Corgan maintained that moshing's "time [had] come and gone", the band would continue to request open-floor concerts throughout the rest of the tour. The band suffered a personal tragedy on the night of July 11, 1996, when touring keyboardist
Jonathan Melvoin and Chamberlin overdosed on heroin in a hotel room in New York City. Melvoin died, and Chamberlin was arrested for drug possession. A few days later, the band announced that Chamberlin had been fired as a result of the incident. The Pumpkins chose to finish the tour, and hired drummer
Matt Walker and keyboardist
Dennis Flemion. Corgan later said the decision to continue touring was the worst decision the band had ever made, damaging both their music and their reputation. Meanwhile, the band had given interviews since the release of
Mellon Collie stating that it would be the last conventional Pumpkins record, and that rock was becoming stale. James Iha said at the end of 1996, "The future is in electronic music. It really seems boring just to play rock music."
Adore, departure of Wretzky, Machina, and breakup: 1998–2000 in 1998 After the release of
Mellon Collie, the Pumpkins contributed many songs to various compilations. Released in early 1997, the song "
Eye", which appeared on the soundtrack to
David Lynch's
Lost Highway, relied almost exclusively on electronic instruments and signaled a drastic shift from the Pumpkins' previous musical styles. At the time, Corgan stated his "idea [was] to reconfigure the focus and get away from the classic guitars-bass-drum rock format." Later that year, the group contributed "
The End Is the Beginning Is the End" to the
soundtrack for the film
Batman & Robin. With Matt Walker on drums, the song featured a heavy sound similar to "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" while still having strong electronic influences. The song later won the
1998 Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance. Though Corgan announced that the song represented the sound people could expect from the band in the future, the band's next album would feature few guitar-driven songs. Recorded following the death of Corgan's mother and his divorce, 1998's
Adore represented a significant change of style from the Pumpkins' previous guitar-based rock, veering into electronica. The record, cut with assistance from drum machines and studio drummers including Matt Walker, was infused with a darker aesthetic than much of the band's earlier work. The group also modified its public image, shedding its alternative rock look for a more subdued appearance. Although
Adore received favorable reviews and was nominated for Best Alternative Performance at the Grammy Awards, the album had only sold about 830,000 copies in the United States by the end of the year. The album nonetheless debuted at number 2 on the
Billboard 200 and sold three times as many copies overseas. On October 31, 1998, during Halloween, the band opened for
Kiss at
Dodger Stadium in
Los Angeles, dressed in costume as
the Beatles. joined after Wretzky's departure in 1999. In 1999 the band surprised fans by reuniting with a rehabilitated Jimmy Chamberlin for a brief tour dubbed "The Arising", which showcased both new and classic material. The lineup was short-lived, however, as the band announced the departure of Wretzky in September during work on the album
Machina/The Machines of God, and the band was subsequently dropped by
Sharon Osbourne Management. Former
Hole bassist
Melissa Auf der Maur was recruited for the Sacred and Profane tour in support of the album and appeared in the videos accompanying its release. Released in 2000,
Machina was initially promoted as the Pumpkins' return to a more traditional rock sound, after the more gothic, electronic-sounding
Adore. The album debuted at number three on the
Billboard charts, but quickly disappeared and as of 2007 had only been certified gold. Music journalist
Jim DeRogatis, who described the album as "one of the strongest of their career", noted that the stalled sales for
Machina in comparison to
teen pop ascendant at the time "seems like concrete proof that a new wave of young pop fans has turned a deaf ear toward alternative rock." On May 23, 2000, in a live radio interview on
KROQ-FM (Los Angeles), Billy Corgan announced the band's decision to break up at the end of that year following additional touring and recording. Originally, the band asked Virgin to offer
Machina II as a free download to anyone who bought
Machina. When the record label declined, Corgan opted to release the material independently. On December 2, 2000, the Smashing Pumpkins played a farewell concert at the Metro, the same Chicago club where their career had effectively started twelve years earlier. The four-and-a-half-hour-long show featured 35 songs spanning the group's career, and attendees were given a recording of the band's first concert at the Metro,
Live at Cabaret Metro 10-5-88.
Vieuphoria was released on DVD in 2002, as was the soundtrack album
Earphoria, previously released solely to radio stations in 1994. in 2014 Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin reunited in 2001 as members of Corgan's next project, the short-lived
supergroup Zwan. The group's only album,
Mary Star of the Sea, was released in 2003. After cancelling a few festival appearances, Corgan announced the demise of the band in 2003. During 2001 Corgan also toured as part of
New Order and provided vocals on their comeback album
Get Ready. In October 2004 Corgan released his first book,
Blinking with Fists, a collection of poetry. In June 2005, he released a solo album,
TheFutureEmbrace, which he described as "(picking) up the thread of the as-yet-unfinished work of the Smashing Pumpkins". Despite this, it was greeted with generally mixed reviews and lackluster sales. Only one single, "Walking Shade", was released in support of the album. In addition to drumming with Zwan, Jimmy Chamberlin also formed an alternative rock/
jazz fusion project band called
Jimmy Chamberlin Complex. The group released an album in 2005 titled
Life Begins Again. Corgan provided guest vocals on the track "Lokicat". James Iha served as a guitarist in
A Perfect Circle, appearing on their
Thirteenth Step club tour and 2004 album,
eMOTIVe. He has also been involved with other acts such as
Chino Moreno's
Team Sleep and
Vanessa and the O's. He continues to work with
Scratchie Records, his own record label, as well. D'arcy Wretzky has, aside from one radio interview in 2009, not made any public statements or appearances nor given any interviews since leaving the band in 1999. On January 25, 2000, she was arrested after she allegedly purchased three bags of
cocaine, but after successfully completing a court-ordered drug education program, the charges were dropped. Corgan insisted during this period that the band would not reform, although when Zwan broke up he announced, "I think my heart was in Smashing Pumpkins [...] I think it was naive of me to think that I could find something that would mean as much to me." Corgan said in 2005, "I never wanted to leave the Smashing Pumpkins. That was never the plan." On February 17, 2004, Corgan posted a message on his personal blog calling Wretzky a "mean-spirited drug addict" and blaming Iha for the breakup of the Smashing Pumpkins. On June 3, 2004, he added that "the depth of my hurt [from Iha] is only matched with the depth of my gratitude". Iha responded to Corgan's claims in 2005, saying, "No, I didn't break up the band. The only person who could have done that is Billy."
Reformation and Zeitgeist: 2005–2008 , Paris; the band's first show since their break up; left to right: Billy Corgan (front) and Jimmy Chamberlin (back) On June 21, 2005, the day of the release of his first solo album,
TheFutureEmbrace, Corgan took out full-page advertisements in the
Chicago Tribune and
Chicago Sun-Times to announce that he planned to reunite the band. "For a year now", Corgan wrote, "I have walked around with a secret, a secret I chose to keep. But now I want you to be among the first to know that I have made plans to renew and revive the Smashing Pumpkins. I want my band back, and my songs, and my dreams". In April 2007 Iha and Auf der Maur separately confirmed that they were not taking part in the reunion. Chamberlin would later state that Iha and Wretzky "didn't want to be a part of" the reunion. The Smashing Pumpkins performed live for the first time since 2000 on May 22, 2007, in Paris, France. There, the band unveiled new touring members: guitarist
Jeff Schroeder, bassist
Ginger Reyes, and keyboardist
Lisa Harriton. That same month, "
Tarantula" was released as the first single from the band's forthcoming album. On July 7, the band performed at the
Live Earth concert in
New Jersey. joined the band in 2007.|left The band's new album,
Zeitgeist, was released that same month on
Reprise Records, entering the
Billboard charts at number two and selling 145,000 copies in its first week.
Zeitgeist received mixed reviews, with much of the criticism targeted at the absence of half of the original lineup. The album divided the Pumpkins' fanbase. Corgan would later admit, "I know a lot of our fans are puzzled by
Zeitgeist. I think they wanted this massive, grandiose work, but you don't just roll out of bed after seven years without a functioning band and go back to doing that". Corgan and Chamberlin continued to record as a duo, releasing the four-song EP
American Gothic in January 2008 and the singles "
Superchrist" and "
G.L.O.W." later that year. That November, the group released the DVD
If All Goes Wrong, which chronicled the group's 2007 concert residences in
Asheville, North Carolina and San Francisco, California. In late 2008, the band commenced on a controversy-riddled 20th Anniversary Tour. Around this time, Corgan said the group will make no more full-length records in order to focus exclusively on singles, explaining, "The listening patterns have changed, so why are we killing ourselves to do albums, to create balance, and do the arty track to set up the single? It's done."
Teargarden and Oceania: 2009–2013 In March 2009 Corgan announced on the band's website that Chamberlin had left the group and would be replaced. Chamberlin subsequently stated that his departure from the band was "a positive move forward for me. I can no longer commit all of my energy into something that I don't fully possess." Chamberlin stressed that the split was amicable, commenting, "I am glad [Corgan] has chosen to continue under the name. It is his right." Chamberlin soon formed the band
Skysaw, which released an album and toured in support of
Minus the Bear. In July 2009, Corgan formed a new group called Spirits in the Sky, initially as a tribute band to
Sky Saxon of
the Seeds, who had recently died. The following month, Corgan confirmed on the band's website that 19-year-old Spirits in the Sky drummer
Mike Byrne had replaced Chamberlin and that the pair were working on new Pumpkins recordings. The group announced plans to release a 44-track concept album,
Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, for free over the Internet one track at a time. The first track, "
A Song for a Son", was released in December 2009 to moderate press acclaim. In March 2010 Ginger Reyes officially left the band, prompting an open call for auditions for a new bassist. That month also saw the first EP,
Vol. 1: Songs for a Sailor, released from the project as a box set. In May,
Nicole Fiorentino announced she had joined the band as bass player, and would be working on
Teargarden by Kaleidyscope. The new lineup went on a world tour through to the end of 2010. One of the first shows with the new lineup was a concert to benefit
Matthew Leone, bassist for the rock band
Madina Lake, at the Metro on July 27, 2010. In late 2010 the second EP,
Vol. 2: The Solstice Bare, was released as another box set, and all four members contributed to the sessions for the third volume of
Teargarden, which was ultimately canceled after the completion of two stand-alone songs. On April 26, 2011, Corgan announced that the Smashing Pumpkins would be releasing a new album titled
Oceania, which he labeled as "an album within an album" in regards to the
Teargarden by Kaleidyscope project, in the fall. As with the previous recording sessions, all four band members contributed to the project. Also, the entire album catalog was to be remastered and reissued with bonus tracks, starting with
Gish and
Siamese Dream in November 2011. ,
Billy Corgan, and
Jeff Schroeder (
Mike Byrne is obscured at the drums) performing at
Chaifetz Arena in
St Louis,
Missouri, on October 18, 2012
Oceania was released on June 19, 2012, and received generally positive reviews. The album debuted at No. 4 on the
Billboard 200 and at No. 1 on the
Billboard Independent. The album spawned two singles, "
The Celestials" and "
Panopticon". The band proceeded to tour in support of the album, including a US tour involving playing the album in its entirety. By September 2012, Corgan stated that the band had already begun work on their next album. However, despite this, the band concentrated on touring, playing at
Glastonbury Festival,
Dour Festival and the Barclays Center, where they recorded
Oceania: Live in NYC, which was released on September 24, 2013.
Monuments to an Elegy: 2014–2016 On March 25, 2014, Corgan announced he had signed a new record deal with
BMG, for two new albums, titled
Monuments to an Elegy and
Day for Night, respectively. In June, it was revealed that Mike Byrne was no longer in the band, to be replaced by
Tommy Lee of
Mötley Crüe on the new album, and Fiorentino would not be recording on the album either.
Monuments to an Elegy was released on December 5, 2014, to generally positive reviews. The band toured in support of the album starting on November 26, with
Rage Against the Machine's
Brad Wilk filling in on drums and
the Killers'
Mark Stoermer filling in on bass. The follow-up proposed album
Day For Night was cited for delayed late 2015 or early 2016 release. Later in 2015 Corgan announced that the band would embark on a co-headlining tour of North America with
Marilyn Manson,
The End Times Tour, across July and August 2015. Prior to the co-headlining dates, the band performed a series of acoustic shows with drum machines and tapes for percussion. When the time came for the co-headlining tour, plans for a drummer fell through and Corgan recruited Chamberlin to reunite for the shows. On February 25, 2016, Corgan posted a video from a Los Angeles studio on the band's
Facebook account, giving an update on the writing process for the new songs for the upcoming album to be released after the In Plainsong tour. The tour began in Portland, Oregon, on March 22, 2016.
Iha and Chamberlin's return; Shiny and Oh So Bright and Cyr: 2018–2021 On his birthday on March 26, 2016, original guitarist James Iha joined Billy Corgan, Jimmy Chamberlin, and Jeff Schroeder on stage unannounced at the
Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. He performed a few songs, including "Mayonaise", "Soma" and "Today" marking his first appearance with the Smashing Pumpkins in 16 years. Iha also played at the second of the two Smashing Pumpkins shows at the Ace Hotel the following day, which was
Easter Sunday. Iha joined the Pumpkins for a third time at their concert of April 14 at the Civic Opera House in Chicago. In July, Corgan began hinting of the possibility of reuniting the band original lineup, of himself, Iha, Wretzky, and Chamberlin, and in August, he stated he had begun reaching out to the original lineup about the feasibility of a reunion, including speaking to Wretzky for the first time in sixteen years. Despite the comments, Corgan would spend much of 2017 working on solo material—recording and releasing the solo album
Ogilala and beginning work on another solo album for 2018. In June 2017 Chamberlin also mentioned the possibility of a reunion tour in 2018. In January 2018 Corgan shared a photo of himself, Iha, and Chamberlin together in recording studio. In February 2018 Corgan announced that he was working with music producer
Rick Rubin on a future Smashing Pumpkins album, that there were currently 26 songs he was actively working on, and that "the guitar feels once again like the preferred weapon of choice." Soon afterwards, Corgan shared a photo of sound equipment with Iha's name on a label, as well as announcing recording was finished on the album. On February 15, 2018, founding members Iha and Chamberlin rejoined the band. They embarked on the
Shiny And Oh So Bright Tour starting in July, with a focus on performing material from their first five studio albums. and sold over 350,000 tickets and sold-out arenas including The Forum,
United Center, and Madison Square Garden. Original bassist
D'arcy Wretzky claimed she had been offered a contract to rejoin the band but Corgan rescinded the offer soon after. Corgan released a statement denying the claims, stating "Ms. Wretzky has repeatedly been invited out to play with the group, participate in demo sessions, or at the very least, meet face-to-face, and in each and every instance she always deferred". Jack Bates (son of
Joy Division bassist
Peter Hook) played bass on the tour. Bates previously toured with the Smashing Pumpkins in 2015. Multi-instrumentalist
Katie Cole rejoined the band for the tour as well, singing backup vocals and playing keyboards and guitar. In March 2018, Corgan mentioned the band planned to release two EPs in 2018, with the first tentatively planned for May. On June 8, 2018, the first single from the set of music, "
Solara", was released. On August 2, 2018, the band celebrated their 30th anniversary by performing in
Holmdel, New Jersey. with several notable special guests including Courtney Love, Chino Moreno, Davey Havok, Peter Hook, Mark McGrath, and Dave Keuning and Mark Stoermer of the Killers. In September 2018, they announced the album
Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun., released via
Napalm Records on November 16, 2018, which debuted at number 54 on the
Billboard 200 chart. After touring through much of 2019, Corgan noted in January 2020 that the band was currently working on 21 songs for a future album release. On August 28, 2020, the band released the single and video for "Cyr", along with a second track titled "The Colour of Love" from their album
Cyr, which was released through their new record label
Sumerian Records on November 27, 2020. It serves as the second part of the
Shiny and Oh So Bright series. On September 25, 2020, the band released another single from
Cyr that included the songs "Confessions of a Dopamine Addict" and "Wrath". On October 9, 2020, the band released a third single for
Cyr that featured the tracks "Anno Satana" and "Birch Grove". On October 29, the band released "Ramona" and "Wyttch" as the fourth pair of singles. On November 20, 2020, the songs "Purple Blood" and "Dulcet in E" were released as the fifth and final single for
Cyr. The following week, on November 27, 2020, the band released
Cyr. Atum: A Rock Opera in Three Acts and Aghori Mhori Mei: 2022–present In late 2020, Corgan announced that the band had begun work on a double album to serve as a sequel to the overarching story of
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and
Machina: The Machines of God. The album was planned for release in 2021, however it was not until September 19, 2022, that the album's title,
Atum: A Rock Opera in Three Acts, was revealed. Each act was released on its own, with the dates in order being November 15, 2022, January 31, 2023, and May 5, 2023. All of the acts, along with ten extra songs, were compiled into a vinyl box set that was released the same day as the third grouping of songs. On February 22, 2022, the band announced on social media the Rock Invasion 2 Tour, which had previously been set to take place in spring 2020, postponed to fall 2020, and subsequently canceled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. The newly announced incarnation of the tour had entirely new locations spanning eleven US cities accompanying the band's spring festival appearances, and four performances in Mexico, their first since 2013. In May 2022, the band announced plans for the Spirits on Fire tour with
Jane's Addiction. In November 2022, The World is A Vampire Festival was announced for March 2023. The festival's lineup included
Interpol,
Turnstile,
Peter Hook & The Light,
Deafheaven,
the Warning, and several others. In February 2023, the band announced that they would be bringing The World Is A Vampire Festival to Australia as a 10-date tour during the month of April. The lineup featured Jane's Addiction, Amyl & The Sniffers,
Redhook, and
Battlesnake, in addition to the wrestling matches similar to the singular date in Mexico. In between the band's time in Mexico and Australia, they announced on March 28, 2023, that they would bring The World Is A Vampire to the United States and Canada as a summer tour across amphitheaters, indoor theaters, and one arena. The tour featured support from
Stone Temple Pilots, Interpol, and
Rival Sons, as well as select appearances by Corgan's
National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) wrestlers along with tapings for
NWA Powerrr. with the Smashing Pumpkins, part of
the Saviors Tour with Green Day in 2024 On October 19, 2023,
Green Day played a small club show and handed out physical flyers that revealed in 2024 they would be touring the United States and Canada in stadiums with the Smashing Pumpkins,
Rancid, and
the Linda Lindas. This tour was officially announced by all four bands on November 2, 2023, as
the Saviors Tour. On October 24, 2023, it was announced in a statement posted on the band's social media that longtime guitarist Jeff Schroeder had decided to leave the band "to explore a slightly different path". Following Schroeder's departure, on January 5, 2024, the Smashing Pumpkins announced via their social media channels that they were accepting applications via email for an additional guitarist. By January 17, the band had received over 10,000 submissions and employed eight people full-time to review each one. On April 26, the band announced that they had chosen
Kiki Wong as their new touring guitarist, with Billy Corgan noting that he was a fan of hers "before she submitted her name to be considered." In June 2024, the Smashing Pumpkins performed a six-city
tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland, which they co-headlined with
Weezer. That same month, Corgan stated that the band had been spending the last two years working on a guitar-driven new studio album, partially in response to the negative reception of the emphasis of
synthesizers on the
Atum releases. The following month, the band announced their thirteenth album,
Aghori Mhori Mei, would be released on August 2. The album would be released digitally first, before physical editions followed later. An outtake, "Chrome Jets", was released as a standalone single in September 2025. On June 27, 2025, it was announced that a reissue of the band’s
Machina album would be taking place. A fully remastered version of
Machina/The Machines of God was released on August 22, 2025, on physical formats and streaming. In October, the band released
Machina: Aranea Alba Editio, a comprehensive box set which contains 80 songs across eight records. The reworked concept album mirrored the band's original vision of the release and brought together the material from the
Machina and
Machina II sessions resequenced into 48 songs, along with 32 additional bonus tracks consisting of demos, outtakes, and live tracks. In November 2025,
Zodeon at Crystal Hall, an album of
Atum bonus tracks, was released as on vinyl with a newly curated sequencing along with three additional tracks. ==Musical style, influences, and legacy==