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> the closest you could get to mapping html flexibility without the annoying XML verbosity

Aka SGML.

Though while you can hide those away in an external DTD, SGML of course needs lots of markup declaration ([1]) for HTML "void" (empty) elements, tag inference, and enumerated attribute short forms, and then still more for markdown short references.

[1]: https://sgmljs.net/docs/whatwg-html200129-dtd.html

I've created xidoc[0], which is meant to make writing HTML (as well as LaTeX) easier and more powerful.

[0] http://xidoc.nim.town/

Arguably, org-mode provides a "better markdown", but it's decidedly more niche.

I like org-mode, but one of my gripes is that code block syntax is too clunky.

It's definitely heavier than Markdown's, but then again, it can do a lot more... In practice, if you're using Emacs, it doesn't really matter, because you can just insert a code block, and specify the language (if you're not using Babel stuff)