If you’re looking for some of the best pedals for punk rock, don’t worry – you’ve come to the right place! In today’s article, I’m going to highlight some of the coolest and most affordable pedals suitable for this kind of music.
Finding the right pedals for punk, pop punk and emo music can be really challenging, especially if you don’t know too much about pedals. Still, there’s quite a lot of fantastic effects that can be efficiently used for all of these music genres.
That’s why I decided to create a list of 10 best pedals for punk rock and other similar styles of music! Feel free to check it out below and scroll down to the next section if you want to read more about each one of them.
10 Best Pedals For Punk Rock – List
| Pro Co RAT 2 Distortion | See on Amazon | See on Thomann |
| Behringer SF300 Fuzz | See on Amazon | See on Thomann |
| Ibanez TS808 | See on Amazon | See on Thomann |
| BOSS DS-1 | See on Amazon | See on Thomann |
| TC Electronic Drip Spring Reverb | See on Amazon | See on Thomann |
| Walrus Lillian Phaser | See on Amazon | See on Thomann |
| TC Electronic Tailspin Vibrato | See on Amazon | See on Thomann |
| BOSS CE-2W Chorus | See on Amazon | See on Thomann |
| JHS Smiley Fuzz | See on Amazon | See on Thomann |
| Behringer TU300 | See on Amazon | See on Thomann |
1. Pro Co RAT 2 Distortion
Pro Co RAT 2 is one of the most popular distortion pedals of all time. This effect has everything that you potentially need from a pedal of that type – it’s extremely flexible and it gives you access to a lot of awesome overdrive, distortion and fuzz tones.
What’s important, this particular model is often used by a lot of punk and pop punk guitarists. It’s a safe bet – you can never go wrong with that! It is also worth mentioning that it’s built like a brick, so it’s a perfect choice for all gigging and touring musicians.
Although it’s not the cheapest pedal mentioned on today’s list, it definitely deserves a lot of attention. It’s not surprising that so many guitarists decide to add it to their own pedalboards.
Here’s a quick sound demo. Sounds pretty good, right?
2. Behringer SF300 Fuzz
Behringer SF300 is one of the cheapest fuzz pedals that you can currently find on the market. But despite of the low price, it offers a surprisingly good quality. I had the pleasure to use that effect on several occasions and I can totally confirm that it’s totally worth it.
Who is it for? Well, the SF300 will be perfect for anyone who’s looking for their first fuzz pedal. At the same time, it’s an ideal choice for guitarists who don’t want to spend too much money on new gear.
As you’re probably already aware, a good and reliable fuzz pedal is often crucial for punk and pop punk guitar players. You need it to efficiently cut through the mix during the solo parts. And to be honest, this pedal does a great job at this! It’s also really good for a bit heavier genres of music, such as grunge.
Overall, Behringer SF300 exceeds all the expectations. You can’t expect it to be the best pedal in the world, but considering how cheap it is, it’s definitely worth every cent.
3. Ibanez TS808
Ibanez Tube Screamer TS808 is one of the most iconic overdrive pedals of all time. This is an another safe bet – it’s an extremely versatile and efficient effect that can be used by guitar players of all styles.
Why is it good for punk, pop punk and emo? Well, sometimes you just need a slight, subtle overdrive – it’s not only about the high-gain! The TS808 gives you access to a tube-style tone which can be effectively used by both rhythm and lead guitar players.
It is also worth mentioning that Ibanez TS808 is loved by a lot of professional guitarists. That includes Slash, Alex Turner, Billie Joe Armstrong, Stevie Ray Vaughan and many, many more! As you can imagine, that says a lot about the quality of that pedal.
I have no hesitation in recommending the TS808 to all guitarists who are looking for a great sounding and reliable tube screamer pedal. I’m positive that it will quickly become one of your favorite pedals of all time!
4. BOSS DS-1
BOSS DS-1 is an another extremely popular distortion pedal that can be used by guitar players of all styles. It doesn’t really matter whether you’re into punk, pop punk, rock, grunge or metal – there’s a high chance that the DS-1 will be a good fit for you.
Just like the TS808, this is a truly iconic model which is loved by a lot of famous and professional guitarists. It gives you access to a really good sounding, punchy and distorted sound.
What’s important, BOSS manufactures an another version of that pedal – the DS-2. It’s even more versatile than the DS-1, but it’s slightly more expensive. However, it’s definitely worth checking out too.
Undoubtedly, BOSS DS-1 is one of the best distortion pedals that you can choose for punk rock, pop punk and emo music. It’s really versatile and it’s not overly expensive, so I’m sure that a lot of you will absolutely love it.
5. TC Electronic Drip Spring Reverb
TC Electronic Drip Spring Reverb is a really good reverb pedal recommended for all indie, alternative rock, emo and punk guitarists. I have to admit that I’m a big fan of that effect and it’s actually a part of my pedalboard.
What makes it so cool? Well, it’s built like a tank, so it’s perfect for gigging and touring. And of course, it sounds great! It gives you access to a really cool, splashy and vintage-sounding reverb tone which is really hard to find.
If you’re searching for that characteristic surf sound, the Drip Spring Reverb will be an excellent fit. In my opinion, this is one of the best pedals of this type that you can currently find on the market.
What’s important, it isn’t too expensive either, so any guitar player should be able to get it without any problems.
6. Walrus Lilian Phaser
Walrus Lilian Phaser is an another fantastic pedal that can be efficiently used by punk, pop punk and emo guitarists. It’s actually one of the most expensive effects mentioned on today’s list, but the truth is that it’s totally worth it.
This is an analog vibrato and phaser pedal, so as you can imagine – it’s extremely versatile and it’s suitable for a lot of different styles of music. It offers a very high quality, so it’s often recommended for live performances and studio recording as well.
Although getting a pedal of this type isn’t necessary for punk guitarists, it’s a really nice thing to have in the pedalboard. It will definitely help you become more creative and push you to discover some new tones and sounds.
I’m positive that this is one of the best phaser pedals that you can currently find on the market. That’s why I love it!
7. TC Electronic Tailspin Vibrato
TC Electronic Tailspin Vibrato is an another fantastic vibrato pedal suitable for guitarists of all styles. Again, although it’s not as necessary as a good overdrive or distortion pedal, it’s definitely worth checking out.
The Tailspin Vibrato gives you access to a lot of classic vibrato sounds. It’s very simple to use, because it has only two controls – Rate and Depth. But that kind of simplicity is a actually a huge advantage of that effect.
Overall, this is a fantastic pedal that can be efficiently used for home practice, band rehearsals and live performances. Just like any other TC Electronic pedal, it’s built like a brick, so it’s an ideal choice for live performances. On top of that, it isn’t too expensive either!
8. BOSS CE-2W Chorus
BOSS CE-2W is one of the best and most versatile chorus pedals that you can currently find on the market. It’s not a cheap pedal, but considering how good and efficient it is, it’s definitely worth the money.
The CE-2W recreates the classic chorus sound of the legendary BOSS CE-1, but it uses the premium all-analog circuitry. So in other words, this is basically the iconic CE-1 on steroids. And it’s absolutely amazing!
Undoubtedly, finding a better chorus pedal than BOSS CE-2W won’t be that easy. It has everything you need from a pedal of this type and it can be efficiently used for a lot of different styles of music – including punk, pop punk and emo.
9. JHS Smiley Fuzz
JHS Smiley Fuzz is an another excellent fuzz pedal recommended for all enthusiasts of punk, pop punk and emo music. Although it’s not the cheapest fuzz pedal that you can find on the market, it still exceeds all the expectations.
The Smiley gives you access to a lot of fantastic tones and it’s perfect for both rhythm and lead guitarists. Whether you’re looking for a just bit of crunch or you want to turn your guitar into a screaming lead machine, this is the way to go.
Who is it for? Well, I think that the JHS Smiley will be a perfect fuzz pedal for everyone who’s looking for a reliable, great sounding and high-quality pedal of this type. If you’re on a tight budget, you can stick with the Behringer SF300 mentioned earlier. But if you’re looking for the best gear on the market, this is the way to go.
Undoubtedly, this is one of the best pedals for punk rock, pop punk and emo music. It has everything that you potentially need!
10. Behringer TU300
Behringer TU300 Chromatic Tuner is one of the cheapest tuner pedals that you can currently find on the market. It’s not ideal, but it gets the job done – it help you to stay in tune.
This is a particularly good choice for all punk, pop punk and emo guitarists who already play in bands. If you’re frequently gigging, you need a reliable and efficient tuner pedal that will allow you to quickly tune your guitar before or during the show.
What’s important, the TU300 is suitable for the bass players as well!
The main disadvantage of that pedal is a cheap plastic construction which is not that durable, but it should definitely last you for months (or even years) to come. Surely, it’s one of the best tuner pedals that you can find at this price level.
Summary
As you can see, there are a lot of fantastic pedals that can be efficiently used for punk rock, pop punk and emo music. I’m sure that if you decide to choose any of the effects mentioned on the list above, you won’t be disappointed!
What do you think of these pedals and which one of them is your favorite? Leave a comment and share your thoughts with me, I’m really interested to hear your thoughts about it!
Thanks for checking out today’s guide, hopefully it was helpful and you found what you were looking for. If you enjoyed this article, you may also like:
