Dropdown Menu — 3 Techniques Compared

Updated Apr 30, 2026

Compare 3 approaches to dropdown menus: pure CSS hover-based (instant, simple), CSS :focus-within for keyboard accessibility support, and JavaScript click-toggle with outside-click-to-close and ARIA attributes. Each technique offers different levels of accessibility and user experience.

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[CSS Hover Dropdown] CSS Dropdown Menu with Hover

Demo & Code

Classic CSS hover-based dropdown menu. Dropdown appears on mouse hover over parent item. Technique: CSS Hover Dropdown. Simple, zero JS, instant response. Source code by Ejsado on CodePen.

Technologies

HTML CSS JavaScript

Code By

Ejsado

Created

2023-09-10

View on CodePen

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[CSS :focus-within] CSS Dropdown with :focus-within

Demo & Code

Enhanced dropdown using :focus-within for keyboard accessibility — opens on tab focus too. Technique: CSS :focus-within. Keyboard accessible, hover + focus, no JS. Source code by Bwalsh5 on CodePen.

Technologies

HTML CSS JavaScript

Code By

Bwalsh5

Created

2024-11-15

View on CodePen

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[JavaScript Click Dropdown] JS Dropdown Toggle Menu

Demo & Code

JavaScript click-toggle dropdown with animations, click-outside-to-close, and ARIA attributes. Technique: JavaScript Click Dropdown. Click-based, accessible, closes on outside click. Source code by Aaron Iker on CodePen.

Technologies

HTML CSS JavaScript

Code By

Aaron Iker

Created

2025-06-20

View on CodePen