Avoiding Javascript not only lets me avoid all that bloat and slowdown, but also avoid Javascript-based tracking, malware, and exposing myself to Javascript vulnerabilities.
I also have the power of the entire Emacs ecosystem at my fingertips when I surf the web this way, which can be very helpful in many ways.
Unfortunately, some sites I find essential will not work without Javascript, and for them I go back to Firefox.
In Firefox, I use uMatrix and uBlock Origin to only allow through the minimal amount of stuff that'll let the web page work, and filter out ads.
I have a really old, slow laptop, so web browsing is slow for me, but not nearly as slow as it would be if I consented to swallow all the crap that the modern web tries to force down my throat.
I yearn for the good old days without Javascript or Webassembly. There was Flash back in those days, but fortunately not a single serious site I ever visited required it, so I could avoid every Flash-using site like the plague. But today the Javascript plague is unavoidable.