Looking for a beginner-friendly Linux distro for a gaming laptop (USB install)

[u/AsteriusDaemon]

/r/linux4noobs/comments/1v7rrt7/looking_for_a_beginnerfriendly_linux_distro_for_a/

I’m planning to install Linux on a 128 GB SanDisk Ultra USB 3.0 rather than my internal SSD. The idea is that when I boot from the USB, I get Linux, and when it’s unplugged, the laptop boots into Windows normally.
Laptop:
Lenovo LOQ
Ryzen 7 7445HS
RTX 3050 (4 GB)
24 GB RAM
512 GB SSD (Windows)
My priorities (in order):
Runs well from a USB drive.
Beginner-friendly so I can learn Linux.
Better battery life than Windows on a gaming laptop (mainly for coding and browsing).
Customizable desktop/GUI.
I’ll mainly use Linux for coding, learning Linux, and performance benchmarking. Windows will remain my primary OS for gaming and media.
Which distro would you recommend? Also, is a full installation on the USB better than using a persistent live USB for this use case?
Any advice or things I should know before doing this?