I don't personally mind writing web components by hand, but for those who want something easier, lit.dev is popular. There's also slim.js and Stencil if you don't mind a compile step.

The design of web components could be better, but I much prefer them to the true nightmare that React development has become. And the api is stable, which means a longevity that frameworks don't have.

| no SSR nor progressive enhancement

I have not been impressed by React SSR in the wild in terms of progressive enhancement. This seems like more of marketing promise than a real world experience. Do you have any examples to link?