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Cause JavaScript is used in browsers so it is the language of the web, and because it has turned out to be incredibly flexible and adaptable, and because it's pretty simple once yo get past the async thing, and because alot of effort has gone into making it fast.

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I think out of all the comments so far this passes closest to the real reason. It's simple: if you're developing for the web, you almost certainly have to use Javascript. That reality corrals so many more people into Javascript than any other language.

That is certainly part of the reason, but other platforms enforce language choices and don't have the same level of churn. Two popular mobile platforms come to mind.

You don't have to use Java on Android and you don't have to use Objective C or Swift on iOS. You're heavily corralled towards them, but there are still other options.

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