I'm also the kind of Linux dork who doesn't like having a bunch of pre-installed software on my distro. Usually I'll pick a kernel and then install a minimal version of the desktop environment and go from there, installing only what I actually need, not what somebody thinks I need.

I feel old, and also fully agree 😂 I still install base debian from net install, then minimal xfce, then a list of apps I've built over the years with a small script. I know everything installed, and it's light even on old machines. I have one Fedora machine for gaming. I don't have a clue what's going on, I just click the Steam button 🤣