I'm going to buy a Strat and turbo-charge it later this year, and I'm probably going for a VHII.
If you don't like Van Halen, I wouldn't let that bother you. Eddie's classic tone was based around an original PAF -- just a good sounding, musical, not particularly high-powered humbucker. I admit I haven't played a VHII yet but from the spec, the samples I've heard, and what I know about pickups in general, it seems like it'd be a very versatile pickup, with good basic tone and the ability to handle a lot of gain.
Also, the Mule is (presumably) optimised for a Les Paul, whereas the VHII would, I guess, be designed with a superstrat in mind. Not to say that you can't put a Mule in a Strat or a VH2 in a Les Paul, of course.
For what it's worth, the music I play is pretty similar to you; some classic rock, some modern rock and pop/ rock.