Building First Linux Machine

Alright I've been able to find a few answers here and there but I think I'm still a little in the dark so I figured I'd make one post asking what I need.

I'm looking into building a emulation box / server. I decided to go with ITX and I'll have the parts delivered soon enough. I've built a few PCs and I'm comfortable on that part. Not so much on the Linux aspect. Doing the rest of my homework while I wait.

On the emulation side, I want to be able to run N64, GameCube, PS2, SNES and Dreamcast to start. I'm sure I'll add others eventually.

I've seen conflicting answers saying that emulation works better on windows or Linux. I would really like to go with Linux because when Its not being used as a emulator, I'm going to also be running a game server for my friends and I to connect to for Enshrouded. Will also be useful to do with any future games I can do the same with. Seems the general consensus is a server is more reliable on Linux. Also I would just like to learn Linux.

I would like to know. A) Is emulation better on Linux, if not is it still stable? B) Are there specific Linux based emulators I should use for those consoles? C) Will I be able to find Bluetooth controllers that work on Linux? D) How do I go about setting up something on my phone (android) so that I can have my PC wake on LAN and launch server for when friends want to join?

(Ive seen how to enable the specific game server. I don't need a walkthrough on that. Just the remote access to launch. )

Thank you very much in advance. I know it's a lot of questions but I want to make sure I do this right and avoid any mistakes if I can.