Most emulators have just been built/developed with what people are used to, or what they like, which has become more similar over the years. Your questions confuses me a bit, but if you are actually looking for a good front-end for your standalone emulators, try emudeck: https://www.emudeck.com/
AdNauseam is based on uBlock and does some extra stuff as well, in case anybody was curious. Link
The cheap fix would be to get the color-matching stretchable filler, but those are more used for holes; I think it might introduce more problems when the floor shifts.
Dang it! So close to what I want. Just needed a micro SD card slot.
You can buy them online if you just wanna try them. This seller has a YouTube channel too.
Scan through some YouTube videos of each of these recommended distros and see which one you like the look of best; They are all good recommendations.
I'd like to throw Zorin in the pot, I use it on all my devices (and servers) since it's just smooth and works without fuss or tinkering. There's a Gnome version and an XFCE version, both are very nice. XFCE is a little lighter in weight of course, which you may like or need.