I've commuted on a roady, a steel big tire bikepacking bike (basically a hardtail MTB) and now a gravel bike. I'd say the tires on gravel bikes tend to be the best compromise between comfort you get from a big volume tire, and the speed of a road or commute tire. They can run pretty high pressures, which is the biggest factor for rolling resistance, and they're pretty skinny relative to MTB tires.

For me, the minute rolling resistance tradeoff between the gravel tire and a commute tire is worth it. The road and bike network here kinda suck for smoothness, I'd rattle apart if I ran a road tire.