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It is easy to see why they are popular. Number one, the recoil is light to very light depending on how you rate recoil. Speaking of light, they are light and relatively easy to carry around to the range. They are nearly infinitely customizable - although I've resisted that urge. I have put a red dot sight on mine and purchased a sling for it (I was actually taught how to shoot using a sling). That's practically factory-stock by AR-15 standards. Ammo, by rifle standards (other than .22LR) is fairly cheap. The ballistics are such that at modest ranges they shoot pretty flat, pretty consistent - it is easy to look good at the range. The sight and light recoil really help here too.

The only downside is cleaning. There are a lot of nooks and crannies to clean. I believe my firing pin is somehow magnetized to attract carbon. I haven't figured out the physics of it, but there's something going on there. ;-) But hey, I'm an engineer and a gadget guy so even that isn't all bad. It just takes a little more time and attention to detail than say your average Glock.