You can use avr-gcc, no need for a heavy ide.
Additionally, the IDE is often under the control of the manufacturer. I understand there are good reasons why this means there will be "bloat". Manfacturers are acting sensibly in their own self-interest.
As a hobbyist, I prefer chips that I can program using a UNIX-like OS that I can compile from source.
I prefer to program from VGA textmode, i.e., no GUI. I am not going to run Windows just to program a tiny microcontroller.
I am grateful for projects such as avr-gcc.
The more ambitious the framework, the more you have to wade through to figure out what it's actually doing when something breaks...I'd much rather have to deal with some cross-compilation headaches and dependencies than to be at a dead end when the 'black magic' stops working.
And yes, it handles compilation/flashing/etc automatically.