Eric Meyer Defends CSS Against 'Bloated Mess' Criticism

CSS pioneer Eric Meyer has pushed back against the common complaint that CSS has become a "massively bloated mess," arguing instead that the language's complexity is a direct result of its ambitious scope and capabilities.

In a post on his personal site, Meyer responded to yet another iteration of the familiar criticism, writing: "My dude. My brother in Chromium. It is trying as hard as it can to express the totality of visual presentation and layout design and typography and animation and digital interactivity and a few other things in a human-readable text format. It's not bloated, it's fantastically ambitious."

The Case for CSS Complexity

Meyer's defense highlights a fundamental tension in web development: the balance between simplicity and capability. CSS has evolved from a simple styling language into a comprehensive system that handles:

• Complex layout systems (Flexbox, Grid)
• Advanced typography and text rendering
• Sophisticated animations and transitions
• Responsive design across devices
• Accessibility features
• Print and media-specific styling
• Custom properties and dynamic theming

"Its reach is greater than most of us can hope to grasp," Meyer notes, suggesting that the language's ambition is precisely what makes it powerful, even if that power comes with complexity.

Historical Context

As one of the earliest advocates and educators for CSS, Meyer has witnessed the language's evolution from its inception. His perspective carries weight given his decades of experience teaching and writing about web standards. The criticism he addresses reflects a recurring pattern in web development where new capabilities are initially seen as bloat before becoming essential tools.

The Broader Debate

This exchange touches on a larger conversation about how web technologies should evolve. Critics often argue for simpler, more focused tools, while defenders like Meyer point out that the web's complexity demands sophisticated solutions. The debate mirrors similar discussions in other areas of software development about the trade-offs between simplicity and capability.

The post generated discussion among web developers, with many echoing Meyer's sentiment that CSS's power justifies its complexity, while others maintain that the learning curve remains a barrier to entry for new developers.

Eric Meyer's original post