I find that playing electric and playing acoustic is almost like two different instruments; acoustic is more about the woods and the tones you can achieve from that - with electric the focus is primarily on the pickups .. with an electric, expect to pay more for adding an amp and external effects - in fact, I'd probably spend half of my budget on those ... so whatever your budget is, half it and look at guitars in that price range.
As with acoustic, it really is a case of trying out a number of guitars and seeing what 'feels' best. Sometimes looking at the brand is a hinderance unless you intend to sell it later down the track (where better know brands tend to keep their value better than unknown/lesser known brands). But you know, I still have my first decent electric I bought for $au200 a long time ago - it's not a known brand, but the neck feels really good, it doesn't get much of a play these days, but when I pull it out, it feels good (still, after all these years!!)
TLDR: budget for an amp and effects, buy what feel right, not the name on the headstock ...
Cheers
Richard
So, the guitars themselves do not really matter? Sound and quality depends entirely on amplifiers and other devices?