What is the modern way? Emacs is self documented like vim. Vim has the :help command, emacs have the Control + h prefix (or <f1> for an overview). You can start with a minimal config like Emacs Bedrock or Prelude, and then learn about those options first.

But the manual is very well written and worth the read. Emacs has its own culture, and the sooner you learn the conventions, the smoother your path will be.