In spite of how it seems the "web keeps getting bloatier", something did in fact improve during the last year or two. A whole lot more websites now at least load with javascript turned off. That definitely wasn't the case around ~2016 or so.
I tried disabling javascript a few years ago and the entire web broke. Tried it again last year and have had much more success.
This is my strategy as well. I use browsers which allow selective enabling of JS and avoid sites which require JS to display content.
In the process, I've found a strong correlation between quality of content and quality of interface accessibility. When a site makes me jump through hoops to view the content, be it enabling JS, video DRM, paywalls, or modal overlays, the content is typically of low quality as well, and I feel like I actually gain more from avoiding it than from going through the trouble of accessing it.
