You don't need publications to get accepted to a program.

I keep seeing people talk about "you need 2-3 pubs to get in so you have no chance." This is simply not true.

It's unusual for an undergraduate to have publications, especially with authorship that matters (like 1st author). A lot of research done by undergrads happens during classes or for during REUs, which are summer fellowships, and a few months is not enough to develop, execute, analyze, and then write-up an experiment/study for publication, let alone it being accepted on the first try into a journal with a high index rating.

A lot of people in undergrad with "pubs" are not the first author which means they didn't do the bulk of the work, which means it's looked at the same as research experience, not you showing mastery over a topic. Or they've stayed at the same lab for multiple years so they don't have a breadth of experience.

SOME undergrads do have publications, and that's great. Not all undergrad institutions have the opportunity for research and graduate schools understand this, it's why things like REUs exist, but not everyone gets into those either.

Long story short: Research experience is vastly helpful for PhD experience, presentations at conferences (posters, talks, etc) are also helpful and much more likely for an undergrad to achieve. You do NOT "have" to have publications to be accepted into grad school.