That's one of the biggest pain points of convincing someone to switch to linux: the bazillions distributions

Yeah, it can quickly lead to analysis paralysis. I've set up three laptops with a Linux on them for non-tech friends and family members and deliberately went with distros that "just work" (Debian and Fedora specifically).

In general I'd recommend sticking to the simple options and not going into niches unless you/the user actually wants or needs to.