Sure. I admit my experience running a VM is limited to “type 2 bullshit” like VirtualBox. But that also requires that OP have a spare GPU lying around they care enough to pop into their machine and set up passthrough for, which most people don’t. Especially with these GPU prices lately, yikes. Chances are they have a decent GPU already in their system, and buying an equivalent GPU just for passthrough is… 😬
So while baremetal-like performance is certainly possible with a VM, it’s still not an ideal solution for most people.