Distortion is a type of guitar effect that alters the sound by adding sustain, harmonic richness, and a gritty or aggressive character. It clips the audio signal, creating a more saturated and powerful tone. Distortion is commonly used in rock, metal, and punk music, offering everything from warm, crunchy overdrive to heavily saturated, high-gain chaos. Unlike overdrive, which mimics the natural breakup of a tube amp, distortion produces a more intense, compressed, and processed sound. Popular distortion pedals include the Boss DS-1, ProCo Rat, and MXR Distortion+.