Page builder
A page builder is a drag-and-drop layout tool (Elementor, Divi, Wix's editor) that lets non-developers assemble pages visually. The convenience is real, and so is the cost: extra code on every page, slower loads, and lock-in to the builder's markup.
Builders exist because editing raw templates is hostile to non-developers. They solved that, and for a while they were the only good answer. The trade is that every visual option ships as code on every page, whether used or not, and the page's structure belongs to the builder rather than to you.
The symptoms show up later: slow scores, layouts that break when the builder updates, and a site that cannot leave without a rebuild because the content is trapped in builder-specific markup.
Modern WordPress narrows the need: well-designed native blocks give editors visual control without the overhead. Our default is builds editors can manage without a builder, and for sites already deep in one, a measured exit path exists.