The beam‐beam performance of PEP‐II has been monitored by parasitic measurements recorded during routine physics running, and by a few dedicated accelerator physics experiments. These measurements indicate that in some cases, the beam‐beam interaction and the electron‐cloud‐induced blowup of the low‐energy positron beam are somehow coupled and enhance each other. Tailoring the bunch pattern to carefully balance these effects has proven very effective in maximizing the integrated luminosity. The comparison of recent simulation results with experimental data is encouraging. © 2003 American Institute of Physics