As the site grew, user experience worsened due to massive ad placements, slow page loads, and unruly, heavily coded profiles.
Unlike modern "cookie-cutter" platforms, MySpace encouraged users to customize their profiles using basic HTML/CSS, often resulting in complex, personalized pages with custom themes, glitter graphics, and embedded, autoplaying songs.
MySpace was, perhaps most importantly, a massive discovery hub for indie and emerging artists. Artists like Arctic Monkeys and Panic! At The Disco used the platform to break through, allowing users to discover local scenes and filter music by genre/location.