caption associated_acts years_active label article_title landscape background alt genre image origin name
2012 right -rrb- : nicole fiorentino , billy corgan , and line-up jeff schroeder -lrb- mike byrne is obscured at the drums of -rrb- performing at chaifetz arena in st louis , missouri the , on october 18 , 2012 smashing pumpkins -lrb- left to starchildren zwan spirits in the sky 1987 -- 2000 , 2006 -- present caroline bmg constantinople hut martha 's music rocket science virgin the smashing pumpkins
 yes group_or_band the large orb with projections . from left to right : smashing nicole fiorentino , billy corgan , and jeff schroeder . pumpkins perform on a stage with a alternative rock sp2012stlchaifetz.jpg chicago , illinois , united states the smashing pumpkins
the smashing pumpkins

the smashing pumpkins are an american alternative rock band from chicago , illinois , formed in 1988 .
formed by frontman billy corgan -lrb- lead vocals , guitar -rrb- and james iha -lrb- guitar -rrb- , the band included d'arcy wretzky -lrb- bass guitar -rrb- and jimmy chamberlin -lrb- drums -rrb- in its original incarnation .
it has undergone many line-up changes over the course of its existence , with the current lineup including corgan , rhythm guitarist jeff schroeder and chamberlin .
disavowing the punk rock roots of many of their alt-rock contemporaries , the pumpkins have a diverse , densely layered , and guitar-heavy sound , containing elements of gothic rock , heavy metal , dream pop , psychedelic rock , progressive rock , shoegazing , and electronica in later recordings .
corgan is the group 's primary songwriter -- his grand musical ambitions and cathartic lyrics have shaped the band 's albums and songs , which have been described as `` anguished , bruised reports from billy corgan 's nightmare-land '' .
the smashing pumpkins broke into the musical mainstream with their second album , 1993 's `` siamese dream '' .
the group built its audience with extensive touring and their 1995 follow-up , the double album `` mellon collie and the infinite sadness '' , which debuted at number one on the `` billboard '' 200 album chart .
with 20 million albums sold in the united states alone , the smashing pumpkins was one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed bands of the 1990s .
however , internal fighting , drug use , and diminishing record sales led to a 2000 break-up .
in 2006 , billy corgan and jimmy chamberlin reconvened to record a new smashing pumpkins album , `` zeitgeist '' .
after touring throughout 2007 and 2008 with a lineup including new guitarist jeff schroeder , chamberlin left the band in early 2009 .
later that year , corgan began a new recording series entitled `` teargarden by kaleidyscope '' featuring a rotating lineup of musicians , that has resulted in the albums `` oceania '' -lrb- 2012 -rrb- , `` monuments to an elegy '' -lrb- 2014 -rrb- , and a forthcoming album .
as of 2015 , corgan and schroeder are the sole permanent band members .
