This session challenges the framework-first mindset by demonstrating how modern vanilla JavaScript can handle complex web applications without heavy dependencies. Participants will learn advanced DOM manipulation, event delegation patterns, client-side routing without router libraries, Web Components for reusable UI, and reactive programming techniques using Proxies and Observables. Attendees will gain practical code patterns they can use to build lightweight, performant applications with zero framework overhead. The session includes live coding demos building a mini-app from scratch and comparing bundle sizes against framework-based solutions.