I go there either because I'm linked to a specific video, I'm searching for something specific (too specific for the recommendation algorithm), or to check if any of the few channels I follow have posted anything new.

I don't watch popular youtubers, I don't listen to (currently) popular music, I don't watch the television, I don't watch sports. I even get make-up tutorials, and I'm a male! That's all the front page of youtube has to offer to me: things that I'm unlikely to ever click on.

>I feel like without a recommendation algorithm the site would be largely useless?

That's because for you and many other people youtube is an activity, like turning on the telly. You open youtube and you expect to be entertained, and that's what the recommendation algorithm is for. For me, youtube is a tool: I open it, search for something, watch it, then close it.