Plasma activated water (PAW) is a functional water-based solution with redox properties and broad-spectrum biological activity, generated through the synergistic action between low-temperature plasma and water. It has been widely applied in various fields. The generation of PAW can be achieved through various methods, and the electrode configuration significantly affects its properties and production efficiency. Therefore, it is necessary to study the characteristics of PAW produced by different methods to better suit different application scenarios. This study investigates the effects of hydrocavitation discharge, needle-to-water surface discharge, and columnar bubbling discharge under pulsed excitation on the generation of PAW, focusing on the variation patterns of physicochemical indicators such as conductivity, pH, and oxidation-reduction potential (ORP). Indigo Carmine (IDS) was used as a radical indicator to compare the decolorization effect of different PAW generation methods under equal energy deposition per unit volume. Escherichia coli was used as the target organism to verify the sterilization efficiency of PAW generated by hydrocavitation discharge.