Along with Nirvana, Radiohead, and Green Day, the Smashing Pumpkins are ’90s alt-rock giants. Beginning with 1991’s Gish, the Chicago titans launched a soaring legacy that would go on to influence legions of teenagers (including that New Jersey band). They quickly followed up that debut with two indelible records, Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, which remain some of the strongest of the decade. Given that the band just released their surprise album, Aghori Mhori Mei, last week, which harks back to their early days, we asked our readers to name the best Smashing Pumpkins songs of all time. Their answers made us completely nostalgic, ranging from Mellon Collie favorites to modern standouts. These are the top picks, ranked accordingly below.
Read more: The Smashing Pumpkins albums ranked: From worst to best
5. “Tonight, Tonight”
After a lengthy tour in support of their 1993 smash, Siamese Dream, Corgan wasted little time writing its follow-up. The result, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, was a quantum leap — a 28-track double album, meant to reflect day and night, demonstrating their ambition and depth. In a sea of emotional tunes, “Tonight, Tonight” stands out for its optimism, transforming into a rousing pep talk about escaping the past and believing in oneself. Featuring a heavenly string arrangement, the song glimmers with hope as Corgan promises to “crucify the insincere tonight.”
4. “Disarm”
Both richly sophisticated and crushingly autobiographical, “Disarm” has lived a long life since debuting on MTV in early 1994. The song was quickly thrown into heavy rotation for its drama and devastation, bolstered by its classical-leaning structure (violin, cello, tubular bells, etc.). No matter how it’s been played over the years — the spectral string arrangement on Siamese Dream, stripped-down experiments, and even a bizarre heavy-metal version — the track remains potent, reflecting Corgan’s painful childhood trauma.
3. “Zero”
Yes, our readers really love Mellon Collie, but it’s easy to see why this particular cut stands out. Amid a torrent of pensive songs, “Zero” simply rips. It’s urgent and ferocious, verging on metal riffs while spitting venom at everything in its path. “Zero” is much more than a raucous favorite from Mellon Collie, though — it became Corgan’s alter ego back in the day, mocking the world that saw him as a rock deity as the Smashing Pumpkins swelled in popularity. Going off this, Corgan’s logic in the bridge is pretty sound: “Emptiness is loneliness/And loneliness is cleanliness/And cleanliness is godliness/And God is empty just like me.”
2. “1979”
Perhaps the band’s most recognizable tune, “1979” is an unabashed pop hit that connects generations. Even if you don’t know the Smashing Pumpkins well, this is the song that you can still sing. Positioned as a wistful coming-of-age anthem, “1979” displays vibrant, youthful abandon without ever getting maudlin. It helped that its bittersweet music video, helmed by husband-and-wife duo Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, rippled with carefree teenager fervor, dominating MTV and appealing to the very people who were also on the cusp of adulthood.
1. “Mayonaise”
The Smashing Pumpkins have no shortage of great songs, but overwhelmingly, readers pointed to “Mayonaise” as their greatest of all time. The fuzzy lullaby cuts right to the heart, boasting strange songwriting that, at first, can seem like “a bunch of weird one-liners,” but, once looked at together, form a bigger picture of what Corgan was going through. To so many, Siamese Dream is a perfect album, and the three-song run between “Soma,” “Geek U.S.A.,” and “Mayonaise” is just as satisfying in 2024.