Unironically, Krav Maga is great for self defense, because it's like regular martial arts, except you are encouraged to kick people in the balls and to poke them in the eyes. Might be hard to find a teacher that isn't a psycho though, given that it seems to only be taught by former IDF soldiers with some seriously bad opinions, which they freely share.

I’ve always wanted to learn one for self defense purposes but I’ve heard people saying there’s not much point and it’s best instead to just avoid dangerous situations

I wouldn't say its pointless but whatever the practical benefits in a fight are: at the end of the day it should be stressed that no amount of training makes you a super hero.

One of my favorite lines from an interview I read years ago was asking some self defense expert what his favorite technique was for dealing with multiple attackers in a street fight situation. His response was "my 9mm I carry with me". There are tons of stories you can find with a google search of MMA fighters who were either killed or seriously injured because the other guy had a knife on him.

it's pretty good exercise though at worst you'll get a workout