What does target=_blank actually do?

Opens link in new tab/window. That leading _ makes it special—no frame search.

Why underscore in target=_blank not just blank?

Prevents clash with real frame names like "blank". _ signals browser magic.

Nope, without rel="noopener noreferrer". Sec hole otherwise.

Billions of links fire up target=_blank every day. But that sneaky underscore? It's a relic from the frameset dark ages, mocking us still.

theAIcatchup Apr 10, 2026 3 min read

target=_blank's underscore is a frameset-era hack to signal 'special' targets. 𝕏
Pair it with rel=noopener to avoid security pitfalls. 𝕏
Legacy web quirks like this demand modern vigilance. 𝕏

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#HTML history #frameset #target=_blank #web development hacks #web security #web-standards

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Originally reported by dev.to