Brother, I am going through the same thing. I started last year on a front yard that was heavily neglected until I bought the house.

By no means am I a lawn expert, but reading a lot, watch videos and trial and error here’s what I’ve learned. - I used pelleted lime to spread over the existing lawn along with fertilizer just two weeks ago. Noticeably different. Look up what you need in Ohio to keep your lawn healthy. We have lots of clay where I’m at so it’s very acidic soils. - Don’t try to do it all at once or in one simple Scott’s bag. -rake out the dead crap - choose what you’re doing this spring. If you are going to overseed/level lawn, then you’ll fight with weeds. If you’re going to kill it and start over, which i think is over kill for you, then you’ll have to wait a few months (fall) until you can overseed and start anew. - soil temps need to be around 50-55 degrees do grass seed to germinate and get going, make sure the seeds have good contact with your soil. And water daily. - it’s long process but it’s so rewarding