Rubber compositions for tread and pneumatic tire

It is an object of the present invention to provide: a rubber composition for a tread, which improves processability, rolling resistance, wet skid performance, abrasion resistance, and handling stability in good balance; and a pneumatic tire having a tread produced from the rubber composition. The present invention relates to a rubber composition for a tread, including: a rubber component; an aromatic vinyl polymer; silica; and a mercapto group-containing silane coupling agent, wherein the aromatic vinyl polymer is a resin obtained by polymerization of ±-methylstyrene and/or styrene, and the amount of the aromatic vinyl polymer is 3 to 25 parts by mass, and the amount of the silica is 15 to 150 parts by mass, based on 100 parts by mass of the rubber component.