alt Hacker NewsDo you not consider Tunguska an explosion? It’s always described as such. IIRC, it never even hit the ground. Sure, a lot of the damage was caused by the air being compressed from above, but it created an air burst, which would have released a lot of energy in every direction.
No, it's a misnomer as with any other meteor.
If you were to witness the breakup from the bolide's reference frame and without all the rushing air you'd never call it an explosion.