Rediscover the HTML select element

A Podkey summary of Rediscover the HTML select element, from WWDC 2026.One of the web’s most stubborn little pain points is finally getting a real upgrade: the humble select dropdown. Safari 27 and Chrome 135 are bringing a new customizable select feature that lets developers style native selects with plain HTML and CSS, while keeping the built-in accessibility and keyboard behavior that custom JavaScript widgets usually fumble. And the interesting part isn’t just that it looks nicer. It opens the door to rich option content, custom icons, even grid-based dropdown layouts, without giving up the semantic select element underneath.Why this mattersThe base-select foundationCustom icons and the open stateStyling the dropdown itselfRich content inside optionsA custom button, with fallbackAccessibility stays intactWhere it goes nextThis podcast was created with Podkey. Make your own at https://podkey.fm