If OP is looking for an editor with nice defaults and nice customization then I'd agree, use Doom Emacs.
If you have very specific preferences, or simply play around and have fun a bit with editors and tooling, then going with vanilla is the best option.
And now, a rant for why I completely disagree with people here who just recommend Vanilla. Starter kits are there for a reason. It is painfully hard for a new user to start out on GNU Emacs and get everything they want running and if they are not patient, they will outright quit.
If OP is looking for an editor with nice defaults and nice customization then I'd agree, use Doom Emacs.
If you have very specific preferences, or simply play around and have fun a bit with editors and tooling, then going with vanilla is the best option.
I agree a lot with this!