Chrome's CSS Wrapped 2025 report documents the most consequential year for the CSS platform in recent memory. Three features define the shift: a native customizable select using `appearance: base-select`, carousel navigation via `::scroll-marker` and `::scroll-button()` pseudo-elements requiring zero JavaScript, and scroll-state queries in Chrome 133 that let developers style sticky and snapped elements declaratively using `container-type: scroll-state`. These are not incremental additions. They eliminate entire categories of JavaScript dependency.
The details inside this piece are worth the full read. The `appearance: base-select` implementation includes a `<selectedcontent>` element that clones rich content, such as images and icons, directly from option elements into the visible button. The scroll-marker carousel section shows working code using anchor positioning to place navigation dots, with `::scroll-marker:target-current` handling active state styling. The scroll-state query section traces a direct line from a 2023 CSS Day conversation to shipped browser behavior, which is a rare look at how spec work actually moves.
The article covers additional 2025 features not summarized here, including `attr()` enhancements and anchor positioning expansions, all framed against the author's prior documentation of CSS5 era evolution on Smashing Magazine. If your current codebase still reaches for a JavaScript carousel library or an IntersectionObserver hack to detect a stuck header, this piece tells you exactly what to replace it with and how.
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