Free WordPress Theme – BareBones (Tailwind CSS + Alpine JS)

I’ve finally done it. After years of leaning on Bootstrap and jQuery for everything, I’ve broken free.

I wanted something cleaner. Something that wasn’t dragging in layers of legacy code, grid systems, and JS dependencies I didn’t really need anymore. Bootstrap got me through countless builds, jQuery was second nature, but both had become a crutch. WordPress has moved on, front-end dev has moved on, and I felt like I was standing still.

Download here: https://chrisleverseo.com/downloads/tailwind-alpine-barebones.zip

So I built my own.

BareBones is a lightweight WordPress starter theme built with Tailwind CSS and Alpine JS. Both are loaded via CDN. No build pipeline, no npm setup, no webpack config. Just drop it in, activate it, and you’re working with modern utilities and reactive behaviour straight away.

It’s stripped right back on purpose. No bloat, no customiser panels, no weird theme options buried in admin. Just clean templates, sensible defaults, and the freedom to build out what you actually need.

Why Tailwind + Alpine?​

Because they’re fast and modern. Tailwind CSS gives me all the layout and design utilities I need without forcing me into a grid system like Bootstrap does. Alpine JS gives me just enough interactivity to handle dropdowns, toggles, and transitions without dragging in a whole framework. Together, they feel like a “lightweight Vue” in my markup, and that’s all I need for most WordPress projects.

And honestly? It just feels good to leave the old stack behind. No more Bootstrap overrides. No more wrestling jQuery spaghetti. This is a fresh start.

What you get

• Tailwind via CDN with Preflight disabled (header/footer won’t get nuked)
• Alpine is already wired up for nav toggles and dropdowns
• template-parts/ holds the header and footer (header includes the logo - edit manually or wire in your own function)
• /assets/styles.css scoped to main body only (header/footer excluded)
• Primary, Footer, and Mobile menus
• Custom footer settings page in admin (3 columns + social links)
• Sidebar and footer widget areas
• Modern nav walker for Tailwind + Alpine
• Sensible theme supports (title tag, thumbnails, responsive embeds, align-wide, HTML5)
• No emojis, no clutter, just clean markup

Structure

assets/
 └─ styles.css
template-parts/
 ├─ main-nav.php
 └─ footer-nav.php
functions.php
header.php
footer.php
index.php
page.php
single.php
archive.php
search.php
sidebar.php
404.php
style.css (theme header only)

How to use

1. Zip the theme folder, upload via Appearance → Themes → Add New.
2. Activate it.
3. Assign your menus (Primary / Footer / Mobile).
4. Configure the footer columns and socials in Footer Menu in admin.
5. Edit template-parts/header.php to drop in your logo or create your own logo function.

Comes as is
No customiser. No logo uploader. It’s intended to be a starter; you take it from here.
MIT licence, free to hack, fork, or ship. Do whatever you like.

Download here: https://chrisleverseo.com/downloads/tailwind-alpine-barebones.zip

Who it’s for​

If you want a clean slate. If you’re tired of bloated themes with “300 options” you’ll never use. If you’ve been meaning to get into Tailwind + Alpine but didn’t want the overhead of a JS build pipeline.

It’s not trying to be Astra or GeneratePress. It’s not packed with pre-built layouts or full of bloat. It’s literally bare bones. You get the essentials, and you decide where to take them.

Why I’m giving it away​

Because I know how many of us have sat in the same rut with Bootstrap and jQuery. We used them because they worked. But they became baggage. WordPress has evolved, and so has the front-end. I wanted to share something that proves how much leaner and cleaner things can be in 2025.

Also, I just enjoy building stuff and chucking it out there. If it helps someone else break free from the Bootstrap grid or stop dragging jQuery around for one more dropdown toggle, that’s a win.