I've always seen Steampunk as SciFi... Unless there are Dragons, in which case it's Fantasy... Unless the Dragons are really steam powered flying autotanks, in which case it's SciFi again...
Take your cautionary tales, and take your incremental gains, and all your sycophantic games... And throw 'em all away.
Burn your TV in your yard. Gather 'round it with your friends. Warm your hands upon the fire and start again.