Thank you everyone, based on these comments here and other reading I've done I think I'm going to adjust how I "generally" play power chords to make this easier on myself.

Basically, I'm going to try to play power chords by using the index finger to barre the fret, and then 3 and 4 would only have to jump strings. That way I can just release pressure on the index finger to mute the strings.

I really appreciate the comments here, much appreciated!