Ad Blocker: Tampermonkey

While people often use Tampermonkey for dark mode hacks or YouTube download buttons, it’s also a surprisingly effective (and educational) way to block ads. Yes—but with a caveat. Tampermonkey itself doesn’t block anything. It’s the userscripts you install that do the blocking. Unlike a full-fledged browser extension that runs in the background and filters network requests, a userscript works after a page loads, scanning for ad elements and removing them instantly.

Most people solve this by installing a dedicated ad blocker like uBlock Origin or AdBlock Plus. But what if you want more control? What if you want a solution that is hyper-lightweight, scriptable, and works across different browsers without installing a separate extension? tampermonkey ad blocker

We all know the frustration: you click a link, and instead of the article you wanted, you get a full-screen video ad, a popup asking for your email, or three banners fighting for your attention. While people often use Tampermonkey for dark mode

Enter . What is Tampermonkey? Tampermonkey is one of the most popular userscript managers . It’s a browser extension (available for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, and Opera) that runs small JavaScript programs called “userscripts” on specific websites. It’s the userscripts you install that do the blocking

April 14, 2026 Reading Time: 4 minutes

Beyond Extensions: How to Build a Lightweight Ad Blocker with Tampermonkey

If you just want ads to disappear without thinking, stick with uBlock Origin. But if you’re curious and want to learn how the web works under the hood—install Tampermonkey, write a simple script to hide a banner ad, and watch the magic happen. Have a favorite userscript for blocking ads? Drop it in the comments below. This post is for educational purposes. Always consider supporting websites you love by whitelisting them if they rely on non-intrusive advertising.