The main problem with css is that with all its complexity it underdelivers and so requires various, incompatible, non-reusable and fragile hacks to make it work.

You didn’t mention specific features, but I assume it’s media queries. That’s unrelated, css is broken at its core.

Every solution that is presented as simpler is simpler because it limits options.

Every other layout solution I’ve used had infinite options due to trivial programmability on top of basic functionality, which wasn’t as poor as css’s and was closer to “get job done” because it was made for it and not as an afterthought.

Anticipating “but they can’t wrap at width breaks!”. Yes, these were never targeted at low-width portrait screens, but that’s not the point. Css sucks long before the “responsive” keyword hits requirements.