This is exactly why I don't do frontend development anymore. The number of tools needed to get an app up and running is ridiculous. Add in cross browser compatibility and it's all just one big headache.
Unless your end user is the developer community, I doubt they give a crud if you are using jQuery or all of this stuff. As long as your app is doing what they want it to do and doing it well, that is what matters most.
If you want to make a simple website, all of this is way over-kill. That is one of the downsides with these discussions. People are lead to believe that all of this is needed to "make a simple website".
I am not at all opposed to learning new stuff especially if it is going to make your job easier, but don't feel you have to abandon your current toolbox and buy into a new one every few months just to keep up. That imo is madness and will only hold you back from getting stuff done.
1. Angular-based template generator for "I'm a backend dev but my manager assigned me to build a front-end, just tell me how to do it"
2. React/Webpack/Babel/etc. stack for the front-end folks who really care about customization and control.
If you don't need to build complex, maintainable web applications for your job this toolset probably comprises more reading/setup than you'd want to do. For me they're a life saver.
Cross browser compatibility is one of the reasons why these tools exist.