Seems like you are looking for grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 1fr). I honestly don’t see a problem with the 1fr part here. I don’t know what you mean with variable sized rows/columns, because you can already do something like:
grid-template-rows: auto var(--some-length) fit-content(30ch) minmax(12ch, auto) 1fr;
While I admit reversing the flow of grid items is a bit more verbose than flex items, it is still a pretty trivial thing to do, if you have named areas, you simply change the order of the area names, if you have explicit columns/rows you can just use negative indices for your grid-column/grid-row. If you have implicit columns/rows, you should probably be using flex (as—unlike grid—flex-direction: row-reverse also adjusts the scroll position) and a subgrid (though I will admit, grid-auto-flow: row-reverse should probably be an option; perhaps you can raise that with the CSSWG if you have a clear use case).
I can see the appeal of Tailwind for developers that don’t feel like becoming experts in CSS layout. However a lot of us frontend devs have spent quite some time studying CSS layout and do know how to work with it to get a desired layout. In my opinion, CSS grid is a resounding success story. I use it all the time in my job without any major issues. Did it take time to learn? Yes it did, I even ordered a whole book on the subject as I was studying it (https://abookapart.com/products/the-new-css-layout). Me personally, I would get insulted if my team decided to go with tailwind, as I would feel left out from my area of expertise. And that now instead of using what I know about CSS, I’m forced to learn a whole new system, and consult new documentation that I’m not familiar with.
I can see the appeal of Tailwind for developers that don’t feel like becoming experts in CSS layout. However a lot of us frontend devs have spent quite some time studying CSS layout and do know how to work with it to get a desired layout. In my opinion, CSS grid is a resounding success story. I use it all the time in my job without any major issues. Did it take time to learn? Yes it did, I even ordered a whole book on the subject as I was studying it (https://abookapart.com/products/the-new-css-layout). Me personally, I would get insulted if my team decided to go with tailwind, as I would feel left out from my area of expertise. And that now instead of using what I know about CSS, I’m forced to learn a whole new system, and consult new documentation that I’m not familiar with.