Getting a more expensive guitar does not neccessarily mean you'll get better tone. Here's what I look for: Does the guitar sound good unplugged? Though you'll find guitars that typify a genre, it really doesn't matter what you play because any guitar can be used to play anything, just be sure you're comfortable on it and you like the way it sounds. I want to be sure that when I get a guitar that it's really resonant unplugged because every part of a guitar effects it's tone. So though the pickups actually "pick up" the sound, the body and neck of the guitar effect tone too. As for playability, well, you know what works for you, be sure the guitar is comfortable, you like the way the neck feels, you don't hit the pickup selector very often when you're playing (but you can still get at it). From the sounds of it you may want something with humbucking pickups like a Les Paul/SG or Fat Strat sort of thing. Maybe a Tele with a humbucker or two- like I said, go to a shop and start playing stuff.
-Have a blast!