Clowns are just such a versatile archetype. Obviously their origins are in wholesome, child-friendly entertainment, and they can still be played as such if the situation calls for it. But that also opens the door to subvert that in tons of different ways. You could make a scary clown(which is probably more popular now than the more traditional clown), you could do a clown that's not necessarily evil but still violent, you can have clown that's still funny but in a less family friendly way, or you could try and examine a character who's profession is a clown through contrasting their real life with their occupation. And that's only scratching the surface.

I also pretty much skipped past the more "normal" clowns because I am admittedly less experienced in that realm but there's a ton of variety there too(jesters, rodeo clowns, etc.). basically clowns are pretty cool.

Also I thought about it and my least favorite clown is Jack from the restaurant chain Jack in the Box.