Downward facing ceiling lights don’t diffuse as well as an upward facing light bouncing off the ceiling.

If you get an Edison style LED those are generally OK in downward facing lights. But LED bulbs in general suck ass at diffusing without having something to bounce off of. An upward facing bulb on a popcorn ceiling is the perfect combo for nice diffused light in a room. There’s a reason why funky ass light fixtures and traditional light fixtures aren’t as popular.