Provided are a rubber composition improving wet-grip performance and its temperature dependence while ensuring good fuel economy, and a pneumatic tire including the composition. The composition includes, per 100% by mass of a rubber component: 5-55% by mass of an aromatic vinyl compound/conjugated diene compound copolymer (A) having an aromatic vinyl compound content of at least 5% by mass but less than 15% by mass and a vinyl bond content in a conjugated diene compound moiety of 10-70 mol%; and 5-75% by mass of an aromatic vinyl compound/conjugated diene compound copolymer (B) having an aromatic vinyl compound content of at least 15% by mass but less than 30% by mass and a vinyl bond content in a conjugated diene compound moiety of 10-70 mol%, and also includes, per 100 parts by mass of the rubber component, 10-150 parts by mass of a silica having a N 2 SA of 40-400 m 2 /g.