I notice that the Merriam-Webster Thesaurus shows the following synonyms for taunt: ridicule, deride, lout, mock, quiz, rally, razz, scout, twit. Not too sure about rally? Quiz and scout are a tad strange too. Lout sounds nice.
Also related words: banter, chaff, provoke, upbraid, distain, scorn, affront, insult, offend, outrage. These all sound pretty good.