A perfect article reading experience

It really has. Ublock is so versatile, too. It can block pretty much anything. I loathe using browsers without it installed.
it's about to get EVEN MORE unusable, because increasingly the alleged/so-called "content" behind the nag-wall is utterly mindless AI-generated sludge.
I even install it on work computers. It's not just plainly sexually explicit ads. It's malware. Just say no to ads.
a matrix enjoyer, I see.
We're starting to see IT departments deploy it by default too!

A perfect example for why having an adblocker is a necessity these days.

I first used uBlock origin 2 years ago and I will never go back to browsing without an adblocker
- I'm not sure how people do it without an Adblock it drives me absolutely insane, cannot live without uBlock
Moral imperative.

Ublock origin

I think the funniest part is that the browser even blocked some crap the site wanted to shove at you by default. This isn't even the intended experience!

Absolutely, use an adblocker. You might even find that "reader mode" works just as well to force articles to be coherent.

It is your fault for not using an adblocker /s

Chances are, unless you made the website yourself, you don't know who made certain decisions; who did specific work; how many people were actually available to do that work; how much pressure from shareholders there was to maximize income at the expense of user experience; any fiduciary challenges faced; or how often you had to overcome the urge to make a worthwhile product to further your goal of fitting as much ad space into a single page as possible (this one is HUGE).

I recommended you use an alternative browser like Samsung Internet, or a Chromium fork called Cromite (UI like Chrome but without Google services). They, along with Firefox, Edge etc. have ad blocker support.

After finding one you like, go into Chrome's app settings and click "Disable" in the middle, so Google Discover won't force you to open in Chrome even if it's not your default browser.

With Firefox mobile now supporting plug-ins, it's easily the best mobile browser. I think it's the best desktop browser as well, but that's more debatable.
- I tried it, but the best for me is Samsung Internet. I love that I can add tabs by holding the tab view button. It's also quite customizable.