Gnomes basically have almost limitless potential. You can play a warrior, a dog tamer, a paladin, a tinkerer, anything really. Usually having a tiny bit of slightly zany fun with your character and not being overly grim about things also helps. They can basically be in any faction and have spread across Azeroth like a glorious, glorious plague. I’d also say that the general mood amongst players has shifted away from the Dayes of Yore where people were violently against gnomes existing for some reason.
Having played gnomes a fair bit in the past and also really enjoying their whole vibe, I can safely say they are by far the best race in Azeroth if you exclude Blood Elves.
Also! If it’s your thing then there may be a few Discord servers around.