No, that's just the only way to do it without putting in any effort.
I've have history enabled for years and I don't get much of the complaints people have about YouTube; my recommendations are fine and I usually find other channels I like that way, anything I don't like I dislike and mark as not interested and that type of content goes away after a handful of markings.
I understand the want of not being silo'd, but at the same time, I know what kind of brain rot YouTube can offer, so I'm happy to solo myself away from that dreck.