There's a decent amount of people still keeping the fire burning for the "old web." It takes a little digging, but it's out there.

Some links for you:

* https://wiby.me/ — search engine that emphasizes simple/plain/hobbyist pages. Try the "surprise me" link a few times.

* https://neustadt.fr/essays/the-small-web/ — article, "Rediscovering the Small Web"

* https://search.marginalia.nu/ — author hangs out on HN sometimes, too (marginalia_nu)

Actually, here's a link to a similar discussion on an old HN thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30783391