From 86f3daf912017d4fe63913cd4ec4e1ec04d2cd1e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Alexandre Kohler <64209066+kwy404@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2026 08:07:37 -0300
Subject: [PATCH 1/4] Sort breakpoint variants with decimal values numerically
 (#20512)

## Summary

`compareBreakpoints` compared values in the same unit with `parseInt`,
which drops the fractional part, so `40.25rem` and `40.5rem` were
treated as equal. As a result `min-[40.5rem]:*` could be emitted before
`min-[40.25rem]:*` (the same happened for `@min-*` container queries),
which means the smaller breakpoint wins in the cascade. This switches
the comparison to `parseFloat` so decimal values are ordered
numerically; values that were already sorted correctly are unaffected.

## Test plan

- Added a test to `packages/tailwindcss/src/variants.test.ts` that sorts
`min-[40.25rem]`, `min-[40.5rem]`, `max-[40.25rem]` and `max-[40.5rem]`.
It fails without the change (the `min-[40.5rem]` rule is emitted before
`min-[40.25rem]`) and passes with it.
- `vitest run src/variants.test.ts -t "decimal values"` (in
`packages/tailwindcss`)
- `vitest run` (in `packages/tailwindcss`): 42 files, 5009 tests passed
- `prettier --check` on the changed files
---
 CHANGELOG.md                                  |  1 +
 .../src/utils/compare-breakpoints.ts          |  2 +-
 packages/tailwindcss/src/variants.test.ts     | 74 +++++++++++++++++++
 3 files changed, 76 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 338a78eb9..c2cbe5a7a 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 - Only normalize top-level `and`, `or`, and `not` keywords in `supports-[…]` variants (e.g. `selector(a: not (.foo))` → `selector(a:not(.foo))`) ([#20420](https://github.com/tailwindlabs/tailwindcss/pull/20420))
 - Don't warn about Angular's `::ng-deep` and `:host-context()` when optimizing CSS ([#20434](https://github.com/tailwindlabs/tailwindcss/pull/20434))
 - Don't generate CSS for candidates containing an empty additional modifier (e.g. `bg-red-500/50/` and `group-hover/foo//bar:flex`) ([#20466](https://github.com/tailwindlabs/tailwindcss/pull/20466))
+- Sort `min-*`, `max-*`, and container query variants with decimal values numerically (e.g. `min-[40.25rem]` before `min-[40.5rem]`) ([#20512](https://github.com/tailwindlabs/tailwindcss/pull/20512))
 
 ## [4.3.3] - 2026-07-16
 
diff --git a/packages/tailwindcss/src/utils/compare-breakpoints.ts b/packages/tailwindcss/src/utils/compare-breakpoints.ts
index 08e97998e..4eb562764 100644
--- a/packages/tailwindcss/src/utils/compare-breakpoints.ts
+++ b/packages/tailwindcss/src/utils/compare-breakpoints.ts
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ export function compareBreakpoints(a: string, z: string, direction: 'asc' | 'des
     // Compare by bucket name
     (aBucket === zBucket ? 0 : aBucket < zBucket ? -1 : 1) ||
     // If bucket names are the same, compare by value
-    (direction === 'asc' ? parseInt(a) - parseInt(z) : parseInt(z) - parseInt(a))
+    (direction === 'asc' ? parseFloat(a) - parseFloat(z) : parseFloat(z) - parseFloat(a))
 
   // If the groups are the same, and the contents are not numbers, the
   // `order` will result in `NaN`. In this case, we want to make sorting
diff --git a/packages/tailwindcss/src/variants.test.ts b/packages/tailwindcss/src/variants.test.ts
index 454f4c1bf..2304326fc 100644
--- a/packages/tailwindcss/src/variants.test.ts
+++ b/packages/tailwindcss/src/variants.test.ts
@@ -1424,6 +1424,80 @@ test('sorting `min` and `max` should sort by unit, then by value, then alphabeti
   `)
 })
 
+test('sorting `min` and `max` should compare decimal values numerically', async () => {
+  expect(
+    await run([
+      'min-[40.5rem]:flex',
+      'min-[40.25rem]:flex',
+      'max-[40.25rem]:flex',
+      'max-[40.5rem]:flex',
+    ]),
+  ).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
+    "
+    @media not all and (min-width: 40.5rem) {
+      .max-\\[40\\.5rem\\]\\:flex {
+        display: flex;
+      }
+    }
+
+    @media not all and (min-width: 40.25rem) {
+      .max-\\[40\\.25rem\\]\\:flex {
+        display: flex;
+      }
+    }
+
+    @media (min-width: 40.25rem) {
+      .min-\\[40\\.25rem\\]\\:flex {
+        display: flex;
+      }
+    }
+
+    @media (min-width: 40.5rem) {
+      .min-\\[40\\.5rem\\]\\:flex {
+        display: flex;
+      }
+    }
+    "
+  `)
+})
+
+test('sorting `@min` and `@max` should compare decimal values numerically', async () => {
+  expect(
+    await run([
+      '@min-[40.5rem]:flex',
+      '@min-[40.25rem]:flex',
+      '@max-[40.25rem]:flex',
+      '@max-[40.5rem]:flex',
+    ]),
+  ).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
+    "
+    @container not (min-width: 40.5rem) {
+      .\\@max-\\[40\\.5rem\\]\\:flex {
+        display: flex;
+      }
+    }
+
+    @container not (min-width: 40.25rem) {
+      .\\@max-\\[40\\.25rem\\]\\:flex {
+        display: flex;
+      }
+    }
+
+    @container (min-width: 40.25rem) {
+      .\\@min-\\[40\\.25rem\\]\\:flex {
+        display: flex;
+      }
+    }
+
+    @container (min-width: 40.5rem) {
+      .\\@min-\\[40\\.5rem\\]\\:flex {
+        display: flex;
+      }
+    }
+    "
+  `)
+})
+
 test('supports', async () => {
   expect(
     await run([

From 722acdfebff0d240ad755ae8456e9fe05475b1ad Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: =?UTF-8?q?=ED=95=9C=EA=B5=AD?= <koreahghg@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2026 20:16:58 +0900
Subject: [PATCH 2/4] Don't treat `\` as an escape inside CSS comments (#20508)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

<!--

👋 Hey, thanks for your interest in contributing to Tailwind!

**Please ask first before starting work on any significant new
features.**

It's never a fun experience to have your pull request declined after
investing a lot of time and effort into a new feature. To avoid this
from happening, we request that contributors create a discussion to
first discuss any significant new features.

For more info, check out the contributing guide:


https://github.com/tailwindlabs/tailwindcss/blob/main/.github/CONTRIBUTING.md

-->

## Summary

<!--

Provide a summary of the issue and the changes you're making. How does
your change solve the problem?

-->

The CSS parser treated `\` inside comments as an escape and skipped the
character after it. Because of that, a comment ending in `\*/` was never
closed, and the CSS that followed was swallowed or turned into a broken
rule:

```css
/* C:\temp\*/
.a { color: red }
```

Before this change the `.a` rule disappeared entirely, and `/* \*/ .a {
color: red }` produced the selector `* \*/ .a`. The same thing happened
to comments inside declaration values, where the comment ran on until
the next `*/` it could find, pulling following declarations into the
value.

Per [CSS Syntax Level 3
§4.3.2](https://www.w3.org/TR/css-syntax-3/#consume-comment), a comment
ends at the first `*/` and escapes aren't processed inside comments.
This removes the backslash handling from both comment-scanning loops in
`css-parser.ts` (top-level and inside declaration values).

The existing test `/*Hello, \*\/ world!*/` keeps passing, since that
input contains no `*/` before the final one.

## Test plan

<!--

Explain how you tested your changes. Include the exact commands that you
used to verify the change works and include screenshots/screen
recordings of the update behavior in the browser if applicable.

-->

Added two tests to `packages/tailwindcss/src/css-parser.test.ts` (both
run with Unix and Windows line endings):

- a top-level comment ending in `\*/` followed by a rule
- a comment ending in `\*/` inside a custom property value, followed by
another declaration

Both fail without the change to `css-parser.ts` and pass with it.

```sh
pnpm vitest run packages/tailwindcss/src/css-parser.test.ts
pnpm vitest run --project tailwindcss
pnpm run lint
```

---------

Co-authored-by: Robin Malfait <robin.malfait@shopify.com>
Co-authored-by: Robin Malfait <malfait.robin@gmail.com>
---
 CHANGELOG.md                                |  1 +
 packages/tailwindcss/src/css-parser.test.ts | 39 +++++++++++++++++++++
 packages/tailwindcss/src/css-parser.ts      | 27 +++++++-------
 3 files changed, 54 insertions(+), 13 deletions(-)

diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index c2cbe5a7a..479fca86f 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 - Don't warn about Angular's `::ng-deep` and `:host-context()` when optimizing CSS ([#20434](https://github.com/tailwindlabs/tailwindcss/pull/20434))
 - Don't generate CSS for candidates containing an empty additional modifier (e.g. `bg-red-500/50/` and `group-hover/foo//bar:flex`) ([#20466](https://github.com/tailwindlabs/tailwindcss/pull/20466))
 - Sort `min-*`, `max-*`, and container query variants with decimal values numerically (e.g. `min-[40.25rem]` before `min-[40.5rem]`) ([#20512](https://github.com/tailwindlabs/tailwindcss/pull/20512))
+- Ensure CSS comments ending with `\*/` are closed correctly instead of swallowing the CSS that follows (e.g. `/* C:\temp\*/`) ([#20508](https://github.com/tailwindlabs/tailwindcss/pull/20508))
 
 ## [4.3.3] - 2026-07-16
 
diff --git a/packages/tailwindcss/src/css-parser.test.ts b/packages/tailwindcss/src/css-parser.test.ts
index 8df19f96c..0dcbc0a41 100644
--- a/packages/tailwindcss/src/css-parser.test.ts
+++ b/packages/tailwindcss/src/css-parser.test.ts
@@ -31,6 +31,23 @@ describe.each(['Unix', 'Windows'])('Line endings: %s', (lineEndings) => {
       ).toEqual([])
     })
 
+    it('should end a comment at `*/` even when it is preceded by a `\\`', () => {
+      expect(
+        parse(css`
+          /* C:\temp\*/
+          .foo {
+            color: red;
+          }
+        `),
+      ).toEqual([
+        {
+          kind: 'rule',
+          selector: '.foo',
+          nodes: [{ kind: 'declaration', property: 'color', value: 'red', important: false }],
+        },
+      ])
+    })
+
     it('should parse a comment inside of a selector and ignore it', () => {
       expect(
         parse(css`
@@ -448,6 +465,28 @@ describe.each(['Unix', 'Windows'])('Line endings: %s', (lineEndings) => {
         ])
       })
 
+      it('should end a comment in a custom property at `*/` even when it is preceded by a `\\`', () => {
+        expect(
+          parse(css`
+            --foo: /* C:\temp\*/ bar;
+            --bar: /* baz */ qux;
+          `),
+        ).toEqual([
+          {
+            kind: 'declaration',
+            property: '--foo',
+            value: '/* C:\\temp\\*/ bar',
+            important: false,
+          },
+          {
+            kind: 'declaration',
+            property: '--bar',
+            value: '/* baz */ qux',
+            important: false,
+          },
+        ])
+      })
+
       it('should parse empty custom properties', () => {
         expect(
           parse(css`
diff --git a/packages/tailwindcss/src/css-parser.ts b/packages/tailwindcss/src/css-parser.ts
index 3dd5e6ffe..0896881e6 100644
--- a/packages/tailwindcss/src/css-parser.ts
+++ b/packages/tailwindcss/src/css-parser.ts
@@ -128,19 +128,24 @@ export function parse(input: string, opts?: ParseOptions) {
     //         ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
     // }
     // ```
+    //
+    // The escape character `\` in comments are ignored, this means that a
+    // the end of a comment preceded by `\` does _not_ mean that the end of the
+    // comment is escaped and therefore we have to keep parsing.
+    //
+    // This is a valid comment:
+    // ```
+    // /*C:\*/
+    // ```
+    // See: https://www.w3.org/TR/css-syntax-3/#consume-comment
     else if (currentChar === SLASH && input.charCodeAt(i + 1) === ASTERISK) {
       let start = i
 
       for (let j = i + 2; j < input.length; j++) {
         peekChar = input.charCodeAt(j)
 
-        // Current character is a `\` therefore the next character is escaped.
-        if (peekChar === BACKSLASH) {
-          j += 1
-        }
-
-        // End of the comment
-        else if (peekChar === ASTERISK && input.charCodeAt(j + 1) === SLASH) {
+        // End of the comment.
+        if (peekChar === ASTERISK && input.charCodeAt(j + 1) === SLASH) {
           i = j + 1
           break
         }
@@ -224,13 +229,9 @@ export function parse(input: string, opts?: ParseOptions) {
         else if (peekChar === SLASH && input.charCodeAt(j + 1) === ASTERISK) {
           for (let k = j + 2; k < input.length; k++) {
             peekChar = input.charCodeAt(k)
-            // Current character is a `\` therefore the next character is escaped.
-            if (peekChar === BACKSLASH) {
-              k += 1
-            }
 
-            // End of the comment
-            else if (peekChar === ASTERISK && input.charCodeAt(k + 1) === SLASH) {
+            // End of the comment.
+            if (peekChar === ASTERISK && input.charCodeAt(k + 1) === SLASH) {
               j = k + 1
               break
             }

From 9798a8ab5b48abf483c93265f96d499ee3755d4d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Dex <beniakiraly105@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2026 13:28:27 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 3/4] fix: correct two comment typos (#20507)

Fixes two typos in code comments (no behavior affected):

- `packages/@tailwindcss-cli/src/commands/build/index.ts`: `Succesfully`
-> `Successfully`
- `packages/tailwindcss/src/candidate.ts`: `preceeded` -> `preceded`

Co-authored-by: Dextheking1 <4175097+Dextheking1@users.noreply.github.com>
---
 packages/@tailwindcss-cli/src/commands/build/index.ts | 2 +-
 packages/tailwindcss/src/candidate.ts                 | 2 +-
 2 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/packages/@tailwindcss-cli/src/commands/build/index.ts b/packages/@tailwindcss-cli/src/commands/build/index.ts
index c85eda28c..ffef2ae8b 100644
--- a/packages/@tailwindcss-cli/src/commands/build/index.ts
+++ b/packages/@tailwindcss-cli/src/commands/build/index.ts
@@ -376,7 +376,7 @@ export async function handle(args: Result<ReturnType<typeof options>>) {
             // Create a new compiler, given the new `input`
             ;[compiler, scanner] = await createCompiler(input, I)
 
-            // Succesfully created a new compiler, so the `fullRebuildPaths`
+            // Successfully created a new compiler, so the `fullRebuildPaths`
             // will be updated. If other errors occur, we should be able to
             // restore the paths unconditionally.
             backupRebuildPaths = fullRebuildPaths.slice()
diff --git a/packages/tailwindcss/src/candidate.ts b/packages/tailwindcss/src/candidate.ts
index b4a5988e0..a389af365 100644
--- a/packages/tailwindcss/src/candidate.ts
+++ b/packages/tailwindcss/src/candidate.ts
@@ -1098,7 +1098,7 @@ const printArbitraryValueCache = new DefaultMap<string, string>((input) => {
       node.value = ','
     }
 
-    // Wrap custom functions starting with `--`, in parentheses if preceeded by
+    // Wrap custom functions starting with `--`, in parentheses if preceded by
     // a symbol. E.g.: `calc(100%---spacing(2))` → `calc(100%-(--spacing(2)))`
     else if (node.kind === 'function' && node.value.startsWith('--')) {
       let idx = ctx.index

From fa81d697fe572a10ac150d18964a093a7a874081 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Robin Malfait <malfait.robin@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2026 21:32:41 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 4/4] Improve style invalidation performance of `group-*` and
 `peer-*` variants (#20513)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

# For humans, by @RobinMalfait

## TL;DR

Some people ran into performance issues with the current `group-*`
variant because of the `*` inside of the selector. Take the
`group-focus-visible:flex` class for example, this generates:
```css
.group-focus-visible\:flex:is(:where(.group):focus-visible *) {
  display: flex;
}
```

This slightly rewrites the selector by maintaining the same
functionality, but increasing performance because the browser has to do
fewer style recalculations.

That same class now produces:
```css
:is(:where(.group):focus-visible .group-focus-visible\\:flex) {
  display: flex;
}
```

# For AI, generated by AI

This PR changes the selectors generated for `group-*` and `peer-*`
variants so browsers do less style recalculation when a group or peer
changes state (e.g. on focus or hover). Which elements match, and with
what specificity, stays the same, except for one deliberately accepted
edge case involving `@namespace` (see below).

```css
/* Before */
.group-focus\:flex:is(:where(.group):focus *) { display: flex; }
.peer-focus\:flex:is(:where(.peer):focus ~ *) { display: flex; }

/* After */
:is(:where(.group):focus .group-focus\:flex) { display: flex; }
:is(:where(.peer):focus ~ .peer-focus\:flex) { display: flex; }
```

## Why

In the old form, the subject inside `:is(…)` is `*`. When `.group`
changes state, Chromium has to recalculate styles for **every**
descendant of the group (or every following sibling of the peer), not
just the elements that use the utility. With the target itself in that
position, the browser can narrow invalidation down to elements matching
the target.

## Performance

Synthetic benchmark: toggle focus on a group/peer, flush style after
each change, and measure only a non-layout property (`outline-color`) to
isolate invalidation. Apple M5 Pro, macOS arm64.

**Elements recalculated per focus/blur** (Chromium 151,
`UpdateLayoutTree` `elementCount`, including the focused element):

| Scenario                                    | Before |   After |
| ------------------------------------------- | -----: | ------: |
| Group: 100 targets among 10,000 descendants | 10,001 | **101** |
| Peer: 20 targets among 2,000 siblings       |  2,001 |  **21** |

**Median time per focus/blur** (sparse: 1% of elements carry the
utility):

| Engine       | Group: before → after     | Peer: before → after      |
| ------------ | ------------------------- | ------------------------- |
| Chromium 151 | 2.169 → **0.130 ms** (~17×) | 0.635 → **0.192 ms**
(~3.3×) |
| Firefox 153  | 0.500 → 0.350 ms          | 0.650 → 0.600 ms          |
| WebKit 26.5  | 0.750 → 0.750 ms          | 0.450 → 0.450 ms          |

**Dense case** (every element carries the utility): no meaningful
difference in any engine, because every element needs recalculation
anyway. Firefox's dense group case was ~5% slower (2.775 → 2.925 ms).
Everything else was within noise.

| Engine | Group dense: before → after | Peer dense: before → after |
| ------------ | --------------------------- |
-------------------------- |
| Chromium 151 | 4.027 → 3.971 ms | 18.095 → 18.121 ms |
| Firefox 153 | 2.775 → 2.925 ms | 43.900 → 44.025 ms |
| WebKit 26.5 | 7.550 → 7.425 ms | 35.325 → 35.100 ms |

These are micro-benchmarks of style updates, not page-load or frame-rate
numbers. The real-world gain depends on DOM size and how many elements
inside a group/peer use the variant. The biggest win is the common case:
a large group containing only a handful of `group-*` targets.

## Do the selectors behave the same?

Yes. For a group condition `G` and a target `&`:

- **Before:** matches `&` and has an ancestor matching `G`
- **After:** has an ancestor matching `G` and matches `&`

`peer-*` follows the same reasoning with `~`. Details:

- **Specificity is unchanged.** `:is()` takes the specificity of its
argument, so before was `spec(&) + spec(G)` and after is `spec(G) +
spec(&)`.
- **`&` is used, not the utility class**, so `@apply`, `@variant`,
`*:group-*`, `[&_p]:group-*`, and other variants that change the target
keep working. Complex parents such as `.foo .bar { @apply
peer-focus:flex }` keep `:is(…)` semantics during nesting: `:is(P ~
:is(.foo .bar))`.
- **`&` appears only once**, so stacked variants grow the selector
linearly. A unit test with 12 stacked variants guards against
exponential growth.
- **The selectors are also shorter:** 6 bytes of wrapping instead of 7.
- **The outer `:is(…)`** keeps compound variants such as `has-group-*`,
`not-group-*`, and `in-group-*` equivalent. For example, `has-group-*`
can still match when the group sits outside the element carrying the
utility.

**Accepted edge case:** if a stylesheet declares a default `@namespace`,
the old trailing `*` limited matches to elements in that namespace.
Inside compound variants such as `group-group-*` or `has-group-*`, the
new selector no longer does, so an SVG element (e.g. inside
`foreignObject`) can now count as the inner group. Appending `:is(*)` to
the target would restore the old behavior with no performance cost, but
it makes every selector longer for a combination (`@namespace` + mixed
namespaces + compound group variants) that is very unlikely in practice.
We can add it back if anyone runs into this.

There's one known browser quirk this PR doesn't change: Chromium doesn't
invalidate `has-group-*` when the focused group is an ancestor *outside*
the element. That happens with both the old and new selectors.

## Test plan

- [x] Updated unit test snapshots for the new selector shape
- [x] New unit test that bounds selector size with 12 stacked variants
- [x] New browser tests in `packages/tailwindcss/tests/ui.spec.ts`, run
in Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit. They cover `group-*`/`peer-*` focus
and blur, `@apply` inside a complex selector, specificity, stacked
groups in either order, and compound `group-peer-*`/`peer-group-*`. The
pre-PR selectors pass all of them too, so behavior is unchanged
- [x] `pnpm run test` and `pnpm run test:ui` pass

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

---------

Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 5.5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
---
 CHANGELOG.md                                  |   1 +
 .../tailwindcss/src/compat/plugin-api.test.ts |  14 +-
 packages/tailwindcss/src/index.test.ts        |  40 +++---
 packages/tailwindcss/src/intellisense.test.ts |   6 +-
 packages/tailwindcss/src/prefix.test.ts       |   2 +-
 packages/tailwindcss/src/variants.test.ts     | 127 ++++++++++--------
 packages/tailwindcss/src/variants.ts          |  13 +-
 packages/tailwindcss/tests/ui.spec.ts         | 114 ++++++++++++++++
 8 files changed, 226 insertions(+), 91 deletions(-)

diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 479fca86f..e5e6f6f89 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 - Don't generate CSS for candidates containing an empty additional modifier (e.g. `bg-red-500/50/` and `group-hover/foo//bar:flex`) ([#20466](https://github.com/tailwindlabs/tailwindcss/pull/20466))
 - Sort `min-*`, `max-*`, and container query variants with decimal values numerically (e.g. `min-[40.25rem]` before `min-[40.5rem]`) ([#20512](https://github.com/tailwindlabs/tailwindcss/pull/20512))
 - Ensure CSS comments ending with `\*/` are closed correctly instead of swallowing the CSS that follows (e.g. `/* C:\temp\*/`) ([#20508](https://github.com/tailwindlabs/tailwindcss/pull/20508))
+- Improve style invalidation performance of `group-*` and `peer-*` variants ([#20513](https://github.com/tailwindlabs/tailwindcss/pull/20513))
 
 ## [4.3.3] - 2026-07-16
 
diff --git a/packages/tailwindcss/src/compat/plugin-api.test.ts b/packages/tailwindcss/src/compat/plugin-api.test.ts
index dd6928b23..5fcacb5cd 100644
--- a/packages/tailwindcss/src/compat/plugin-api.test.ts
+++ b/packages/tailwindcss/src/compat/plugin-api.test.ts
@@ -1630,7 +1630,7 @@ describe('addVariant', () => {
     ).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
       @layer utilities {
-        .group-hocus\\:flex:is(:is(:where(.group):hover, :where(.group):focus) *) {
+        :is(:is(:where(.group):hover, :where(.group):focus) .group-hocus\\:flex) {
           display: flex;
         }
 
@@ -1744,7 +1744,7 @@ describe('addVariant', () => {
     ).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
       @layer utilities {
-        .group-hocus\\:flex:is(:where(.group):hover *), .group-hocus\\:flex:is(:where(.group):focus *) {
+        :is(:where(.group):hover .group-hocus\\:flex), :is(:where(.group):focus .group-hocus\\:flex) {
           display: flex;
         }
 
@@ -1784,7 +1784,7 @@ describe('addVariant', () => {
     ).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
       @layer utilities {
-        .group-hocus\\:flex:is(:where(.group):hover *), .group-hocus\\:flex:is(:where(.group):focus *) {
+        :is(:where(.group):hover .group-hocus\\:flex), :is(:where(.group):focus .group-hocus\\:flex) {
           display: flex;
         }
 
@@ -1827,12 +1827,12 @@ describe('addVariant', () => {
       "
       @layer utilities {
         @media (hover: hover) {
-          .group-hocus\\:flex:is(:where(.group):hover *) {
+          :is(:where(.group):hover .group-hocus\\:flex) {
             display: flex;
           }
         }
 
-        .group-hocus\\:flex:is(:where(.group):focus *) {
+        :is(:where(.group):focus .group-hocus\\:flex) {
           display: flex;
         }
 
@@ -1964,7 +1964,7 @@ describe('addVariant', () => {
     ).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
       @layer utilities {
-        .group-optional\\:flex:is(:where(.group):optional *), .group-optional\\/foo\\:flex:is(:where(.group\\/foo):optional *), .peer-optional\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):optional ~ *), .optional\\:flex:optional {
+        :is(:where(.group):optional .group-optional\\:flex), :is(:where(.group\\/foo):optional .group-optional\\/foo\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):optional ~ .peer-optional\\:flex), .optional\\:flex:optional {
           display: flex;
         }
       }
@@ -2903,7 +2903,7 @@ describe('matchVariant', () => {
     ).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
       @layer utilities {
-        .group-optional-\\[test\\]\\:flex:is(:where(.group):optional:has(test) :where(.group) *), .group-optional-\\[test\\]\\/foo\\:flex:is(:where(.group\\/foo):optional:has(test) :where(.group\\/foo) *), .peer-optional-\\[test\\]\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):optional:has(test) :where(.peer) ~ *), .optional-\\[test\\]\\:flex:optional:has(test) .optional-\\[test\\]\\:flex {
+        :is(:where(.group):optional:has(test) :where(.group) .group-optional-\\[test\\]\\:flex), :is(:where(.group\\/foo):optional:has(test) :where(.group\\/foo) .group-optional-\\[test\\]\\/foo\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):optional:has(test) :where(.peer) ~ .peer-optional-\\[test\\]\\:flex), .optional-\\[test\\]\\:flex:optional:has(test) .optional-\\[test\\]\\:flex {
           display: flex;
         }
       }
diff --git a/packages/tailwindcss/src/index.test.ts b/packages/tailwindcss/src/index.test.ts
index 5eebd1716..7f4a0eef3 100644
--- a/packages/tailwindcss/src/index.test.ts
+++ b/packages/tailwindcss/src/index.test.ts
@@ -1444,42 +1444,42 @@ describe('sorting', () => {
     ).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
       @media (hover: hover) {
-        .group-hover\\:flex:is(:where(.group):hover *) {
+        :is(:where(.group):hover .group-hover\\:flex) {
           display: flex;
         }
       }
 
-      .group-focus\\:flex:is(:where(.group):focus *) {
+      :is(:where(.group):focus .group-focus\\:flex) {
         display: flex;
       }
 
       @media (hover: hover) {
-        .peer-hover\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):hover ~ *) {
+        :is(:where(.peer):hover ~ .peer-hover\\:flex) {
           display: flex;
         }
 
         @media (hover: hover) {
-          .group-hover\\:peer-hover\\:flex:is(:where(.group):hover *):is(:where(.peer):hover ~ *), .peer-hover\\:group-hover\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):hover ~ *):is(:where(.group):hover *) {
+          :is(:where(.peer):hover ~ :is(:where(.group):hover .group-hover\\:peer-hover\\:flex)), :is(:where(.group):hover :is(:where(.peer):hover ~ .peer-hover\\:group-hover\\:flex)) {
             display: flex;
           }
         }
 
-        .group-focus\\:peer-hover\\:flex:is(:where(.group):focus *):is(:where(.peer):hover ~ *), .peer-hover\\:group-focus\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):hover ~ *):is(:where(.group):focus *) {
+        :is(:where(.peer):hover ~ :is(:where(.group):focus .group-focus\\:peer-hover\\:flex)), :is(:where(.group):focus :is(:where(.peer):hover ~ .peer-hover\\:group-focus\\:flex)) {
           display: flex;
         }
       }
 
-      .peer-focus\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):focus ~ *) {
+      :is(:where(.peer):focus ~ .peer-focus\\:flex) {
         display: flex;
       }
 
       @media (hover: hover) {
-        .group-hover\\:peer-focus\\:flex:is(:where(.group):hover *):is(:where(.peer):focus ~ *), .peer-focus\\:group-hover\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):focus ~ *):is(:where(.group):hover *) {
+        :is(:where(.peer):focus ~ :is(:where(.group):hover .group-hover\\:peer-focus\\:flex)), :is(:where(.group):hover :is(:where(.peer):focus ~ .peer-focus\\:group-hover\\:flex)) {
           display: flex;
         }
       }
 
-      .group-focus\\:peer-focus\\:flex:is(:where(.group):focus *):is(:where(.peer):focus ~ *), .peer-focus\\:group-focus\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):focus ~ *):is(:where(.group):focus *) {
+      :is(:where(.peer):focus ~ :is(:where(.group):focus .group-focus\\:peer-focus\\:flex)), :is(:where(.group):focus :is(:where(.peer):focus ~ .peer-focus\\:group-focus\\:flex)) {
         display: flex;
       }
 
@@ -3601,7 +3601,7 @@ describe('plugins', () => {
     ).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
       @layer utilities {
-        .group-hocus\\:flex:is(:is(:where(.group):hover, :where(.group):focus) *) {
+        :is(:is(:where(.group):hover, :where(.group):focus) .group-hocus\\:flex) {
           display: flex;
         }
 
@@ -3636,7 +3636,7 @@ describe('plugins', () => {
     ).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
       @layer utilities {
-        .group-hocus\\:flex:is(:where(.group):hover *), .group-hocus\\:flex:is(:where(.group):focus *) {
+        :is(:where(.group):hover .group-hocus\\:flex), :is(:where(.group):focus .group-hocus\\:flex) {
           display: flex;
         }
 
@@ -3674,7 +3674,7 @@ describe('plugins', () => {
     ).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
       @layer utilities {
-        .group-hocus\\:flex:is(:where(.group):hover *), .group-hocus\\:flex:is(:where(.group):focus *) {
+        :is(:where(.group):hover .group-hocus\\:flex), :is(:where(.group):focus .group-hocus\\:flex) {
           display: flex;
         }
 
@@ -3715,12 +3715,12 @@ describe('plugins', () => {
       "
       @layer utilities {
         @media (hover: hover) {
-          .group-hocus\\:flex:is(:where(.group):hover *) {
+          :is(:where(.group):hover .group-hocus\\:flex) {
             display: flex;
           }
         }
 
-        .group-hocus\\:flex:is(:where(.group):focus *) {
+        :is(:where(.group):focus .group-hocus\\:flex) {
           display: flex;
         }
 
@@ -4199,7 +4199,7 @@ describe('@custom-variant', () => {
       ).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
         "
         @layer utilities {
-          .group-hocus\\:flex:is(:is(:where(.group):hover, :where(.group):focus) *) {
+          :is(:is(:where(.group):hover, :where(.group):focus) .group-hocus\\:flex) {
             display: flex;
           }
 
@@ -4294,7 +4294,7 @@ describe('@custom-variant', () => {
       ).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
         "
         @layer utilities {
-          .group-selected\\:underline:is(:where(.group)[data-selected] *), .selected\\:underline[data-selected] {
+          :is(:where(.group)[data-selected] .group-selected\\:underline), .selected\\:underline[data-selected] {
             text-decoration-line: underline;
           }
         }
@@ -4322,7 +4322,7 @@ describe('@custom-variant', () => {
       ).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
         "
         @layer utilities {
-          .group-hocus\\:underline:is(:is(:where(.group):hover, :where(.group):focus) *), .hocus\\:underline:hover, .hocus\\:underline:focus {
+          :is(:is(:where(.group):hover, :where(.group):focus) .group-hocus\\:underline), .hocus\\:underline:hover, .hocus\\:underline:focus {
             text-decoration-line: underline;
           }
         }
@@ -4353,7 +4353,7 @@ describe('@custom-variant', () => {
       ).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
         "
         @layer utilities {
-          .group-hocus\\:underline:is(:where(.group):hover *), .group-hocus\\:underline:is(:where(.group):focus *), .hocus\\:underline:hover, .hocus\\:underline:focus {
+          :is(:where(.group):hover .group-hocus\\:underline), :is(:where(.group):focus .group-hocus\\:underline), .hocus\\:underline:hover, .hocus\\:underline:focus {
             text-decoration-line: underline;
           }
         }
@@ -4458,12 +4458,12 @@ describe('@custom-variant', () => {
         "
         @layer utilities {
           @media (hover: hover) {
-            .group-hocus\\:underline:is(:where(.group):hover *) {
+            :is(:where(.group):hover .group-hocus\\:underline) {
               text-decoration-line: underline;
             }
           }
 
-          .group-hocus\\:underline:is(:where(.group):focus *) {
+          :is(:where(.group):focus .group-hocus\\:underline) {
             text-decoration-line: underline;
           }
 
@@ -4503,7 +4503,7 @@ describe('@custom-variant', () => {
         "
         @layer utilities {
           @media (hover: hover) {
-            .group-hocus\\:underline:is(:where(.group):hover *), .hocus\\:underline:hover {
+            :is(:where(.group):hover .group-hocus\\:underline), .hocus\\:underline:hover {
               text-decoration-line: underline;
             }
           }
diff --git a/packages/tailwindcss/src/intellisense.test.ts b/packages/tailwindcss/src/intellisense.test.ts
index a31ec5d74..63f9e7576 100644
--- a/packages/tailwindcss/src/intellisense.test.ts
+++ b/packages/tailwindcss/src/intellisense.test.ts
@@ -97,9 +97,9 @@ test('getVariants compound', async () => {
   ]
 
   expect(list).toEqual([
-    ['@media (hover: hover) { &:is(:where(.group):hover *) }'],
-    ['@media (hover: hover) { &:is(:where(.group\\/sidebar):hover *) }'],
-    ['@media (hover: hover) { &:is(:where(.group):is(:where(.group):hover *) *) }'],
+    ['@media (hover: hover) { :is(:where(.group):hover &) }'],
+    ['@media (hover: hover) { :is(:where(.group\\/sidebar):hover &) }'],
+    ['@media (hover: hover) { :is(:is(:where(.group):hover :where(.group)) &) }'],
     [],
     [],
   ])
diff --git a/packages/tailwindcss/src/prefix.test.ts b/packages/tailwindcss/src/prefix.test.ts
index 799cb22fe..ded304cad 100644
--- a/packages/tailwindcss/src/prefix.test.ts
+++ b/packages/tailwindcss/src/prefix.test.ts
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ test('utilities must be prefixed', async () => {
     }
 
     @media (hover: hover) {
-      .tw\\:group-hover\\:flex:is(:where(.tw\\:group):hover *), .tw\\:peer-hover\\:flex:is(:where(.tw\\:peer):hover ~ *) {
+      :is(:where(.tw\\:group):hover .tw\\:group-hover\\:flex), :is(:where(.tw\\:peer):hover ~ .tw\\:peer-hover\\:flex) {
         display: flex;
       }
 
diff --git a/packages/tailwindcss/src/variants.test.ts b/packages/tailwindcss/src/variants.test.ts
index 2304326fc..37f9ebbea 100644
--- a/packages/tailwindcss/src/variants.test.ts
+++ b/packages/tailwindcss/src/variants.test.ts
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ test('after', async () => {
 test('first', async () => {
   expect(await run(['first:flex', 'group-first:flex', 'peer-first:flex'])).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
     "
-    .group-first\\:flex:is(:where(.group):first-child *), .peer-first\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):first-child ~ *), .first\\:flex:first-child {
+    :is(:where(.group):first-child .group-first\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):first-child ~ .peer-first\\:flex), .first\\:flex:first-child {
       display: flex;
     }
     "
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ test('first', async () => {
 test('last', async () => {
   expect(await run(['last:flex', 'group-last:flex', 'peer-last:flex'])).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
     "
-    .group-last\\:flex:is(:where(.group):last-child *), .peer-last\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):last-child ~ *), .last\\:flex:last-child {
+    :is(:where(.group):last-child .group-last\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):last-child ~ .peer-last\\:flex), .last\\:flex:last-child {
       display: flex;
     }
     "
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ test('last', async () => {
 test('only', async () => {
   expect(await run(['only:flex', 'group-only:flex', 'peer-only:flex'])).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
     "
-    .group-only\\:flex:is(:where(.group):only-child *), .peer-only\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):only-child ~ *), .only\\:flex:only-child {
+    :is(:where(.group):only-child .group-only\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):only-child ~ .peer-only\\:flex), .only\\:flex:only-child {
       display: flex;
     }
     "
@@ -219,7 +219,7 @@ test('only', async () => {
 test('odd', async () => {
   expect(await run(['odd:flex', 'group-odd:flex', 'peer-odd:flex'])).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
     "
-    .group-odd\\:flex:is(:where(.group):nth-child(odd) *), .peer-odd\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):nth-child(odd) ~ *), .odd\\:flex:nth-child(odd) {
+    :is(:where(.group):nth-child(odd) .group-odd\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):nth-child(odd) ~ .peer-odd\\:flex), .odd\\:flex:nth-child(odd) {
       display: flex;
     }
     "
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ test('odd', async () => {
 test('even', async () => {
   expect(await run(['even:flex', 'group-even:flex', 'peer-even:flex'])).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
     "
-    .group-even\\:flex:is(:where(.group):nth-child(2n) *), .peer-even\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):nth-child(2n) ~ *), .even\\:flex:nth-child(2n) {
+    :is(:where(.group):nth-child(2n) .group-even\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):nth-child(2n) ~ .peer-even\\:flex), .even\\:flex:nth-child(2n) {
       display: flex;
     }
     "
@@ -242,7 +242,7 @@ test('first-of-type', async () => {
   expect(await run(['first-of-type:flex', 'group-first-of-type:flex', 'peer-first-of-type:flex']))
     .toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
-      .group-first-of-type\\:flex:is(:where(.group):first-of-type *), .peer-first-of-type\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):first-of-type ~ *), .first-of-type\\:flex:first-of-type {
+      :is(:where(.group):first-of-type .group-first-of-type\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):first-of-type ~ .peer-first-of-type\\:flex), .first-of-type\\:flex:first-of-type {
         display: flex;
       }
       "
@@ -254,7 +254,7 @@ test('last-of-type', async () => {
   expect(await run(['last-of-type:flex', 'group-last-of-type:flex', 'peer-last-of-type:flex']))
     .toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
-      .group-last-of-type\\:flex:is(:where(.group):last-of-type *), .peer-last-of-type\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):last-of-type ~ *), .last-of-type\\:flex:last-of-type {
+      :is(:where(.group):last-of-type .group-last-of-type\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):last-of-type ~ .peer-last-of-type\\:flex), .last-of-type\\:flex:last-of-type {
         display: flex;
       }
       "
@@ -266,7 +266,7 @@ test('only-of-type', async () => {
   expect(await run(['only-of-type:flex', 'group-only-of-type:flex', 'peer-only-of-type:flex']))
     .toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
-      .group-only-of-type\\:flex:is(:where(.group):only-of-type *), .peer-only-of-type\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):only-of-type ~ *), .only-of-type\\:flex:only-of-type {
+      :is(:where(.group):only-of-type .group-only-of-type\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):only-of-type ~ .peer-only-of-type\\:flex), .only-of-type\\:flex:only-of-type {
         display: flex;
       }
       "
@@ -278,7 +278,7 @@ test('visited', async () => {
   expect(await run(['visited:flex', 'group-visited:flex', 'peer-visited:flex']))
     .toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
-      .group-visited\\:flex:is(:where(.group):visited *), .peer-visited\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):visited ~ *), .visited\\:flex:visited {
+      :is(:where(.group):visited .group-visited\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):visited ~ .peer-visited\\:flex), .visited\\:flex:visited {
         display: flex;
       }
       "
@@ -290,7 +290,7 @@ test('target', async () => {
   expect(await run(['target:flex', 'group-target:flex', 'peer-target:flex']))
     .toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
-      .group-target\\:flex:is(:where(.group):target *), .peer-target\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):target ~ *), .target\\:flex:target {
+      :is(:where(.group):target .group-target\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):target ~ .peer-target\\:flex), .target\\:flex:target {
         display: flex;
       }
       "
@@ -302,7 +302,7 @@ test('open', async () => {
   expect(await run(['open:flex', 'group-open:flex', 'peer-open:flex', 'not-open:flex']))
     .toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
-      .not-open\\:flex:not(:is([open], :popover-open, :open)), .group-open\\:flex:is(:where(.group):is([open], :popover-open, :open) *), .peer-open\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):is([open], :popover-open, :open) ~ *), .open\\:flex:is([open], :popover-open, :open) {
+      .not-open\\:flex:not(:is([open], :popover-open, :open)), :is(:where(.group):is([open], :popover-open, :open) .group-open\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):is([open], :popover-open, :open) ~ .peer-open\\:flex), .open\\:flex:is([open], :popover-open, :open) {
         display: flex;
       }
       "
@@ -314,7 +314,7 @@ test('default', async () => {
   expect(await run(['default:flex', 'group-default:flex', 'peer-default:flex']))
     .toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
-      .group-default\\:flex:is(:where(.group):default *), .peer-default\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):default ~ *), .default\\:flex:default {
+      :is(:where(.group):default .group-default\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):default ~ .peer-default\\:flex), .default\\:flex:default {
         display: flex;
       }
       "
@@ -326,7 +326,7 @@ test('checked', async () => {
   expect(await run(['checked:flex', 'group-checked:flex', 'peer-checked:flex']))
     .toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
-      .group-checked\\:flex:is(:where(.group):checked *), .peer-checked\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):checked ~ *), .checked\\:flex:checked {
+      :is(:where(.group):checked .group-checked\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):checked ~ .peer-checked\\:flex), .checked\\:flex:checked {
         display: flex;
       }
       "
@@ -338,7 +338,7 @@ test('indeterminate', async () => {
   expect(await run(['indeterminate:flex', 'group-indeterminate:flex', 'peer-indeterminate:flex']))
     .toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
-      .group-indeterminate\\:flex:is(:where(.group):indeterminate *), .peer-indeterminate\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):indeterminate ~ *), .indeterminate\\:flex:indeterminate {
+      :is(:where(.group):indeterminate .group-indeterminate\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):indeterminate ~ .peer-indeterminate\\:flex), .indeterminate\\:flex:indeterminate {
         display: flex;
       }
       "
@@ -355,7 +355,7 @@ test('placeholder-shown', async () => {
     ]),
   ).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
     "
-    .group-placeholder-shown\\:flex:is(:where(.group):placeholder-shown *), .peer-placeholder-shown\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):placeholder-shown ~ *), .placeholder-shown\\:flex:placeholder-shown {
+    :is(:where(.group):placeholder-shown .group-placeholder-shown\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):placeholder-shown ~ .peer-placeholder-shown\\:flex), .placeholder-shown\\:flex:placeholder-shown {
       display: flex;
     }
     "
@@ -367,7 +367,7 @@ test('autofill', async () => {
   expect(await run(['autofill:flex', 'group-autofill:flex', 'peer-autofill:flex']))
     .toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
-      .group-autofill\\:flex:is(:where(.group):autofill *), .peer-autofill\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):autofill ~ *) {
+      :is(:where(.group):autofill .group-autofill\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):autofill ~ .peer-autofill\\:flex) {
         display: flex;
       }
 
@@ -383,7 +383,7 @@ test('optional', async () => {
   expect(await run(['optional:flex', 'group-optional:flex', 'peer-optional:flex']))
     .toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
-      .group-optional\\:flex:is(:where(.group):optional *), .peer-optional\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):optional ~ *), .optional\\:flex:optional {
+      :is(:where(.group):optional .group-optional\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):optional ~ .peer-optional\\:flex), .optional\\:flex:optional {
         display: flex;
       }
       "
@@ -395,7 +395,7 @@ test('required', async () => {
   expect(await run(['required:flex', 'group-required:flex', 'peer-required:flex']))
     .toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
-      .group-required\\:flex:is(:where(.group):required *), .peer-required\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):required ~ *), .required\\:flex:required {
+      :is(:where(.group):required .group-required\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):required ~ .peer-required\\:flex), .required\\:flex:required {
         display: flex;
       }
       "
@@ -406,7 +406,7 @@ test('required', async () => {
 test('valid', async () => {
   expect(await run(['valid:flex', 'group-valid:flex', 'peer-valid:flex'])).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
     "
-    .group-valid\\:flex:is(:where(.group):valid *), .peer-valid\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):valid ~ *), .valid\\:flex:valid {
+    :is(:where(.group):valid .group-valid\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):valid ~ .peer-valid\\:flex), .valid\\:flex:valid {
       display: flex;
     }
     "
@@ -418,7 +418,7 @@ test('invalid', async () => {
   expect(await run(['invalid:flex', 'group-invalid:flex', 'peer-invalid:flex']))
     .toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
-      .group-invalid\\:flex:is(:where(.group):invalid *), .peer-invalid\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):invalid ~ *), .invalid\\:flex:invalid {
+      :is(:where(.group):invalid .group-invalid\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):invalid ~ .peer-invalid\\:flex), .invalid\\:flex:invalid {
         display: flex;
       }
       "
@@ -430,7 +430,7 @@ test('user-valid', async () => {
   expect(await run(['user-valid:flex', 'group-user-valid:flex', 'peer-user-valid:flex']))
     .toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
-      .group-user-valid\\:flex:is(:where(.group):user-valid *), .peer-user-valid\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):user-valid ~ *) {
+      :is(:where(.group):user-valid .group-user-valid\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):user-valid ~ .peer-user-valid\\:flex) {
         display: flex;
       }
 
@@ -446,7 +446,7 @@ test('user-invalid', async () => {
   expect(await run(['user-invalid:flex', 'group-user-invalid:flex', 'peer-user-invalid:flex']))
     .toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
-      .group-user-invalid\\:flex:is(:where(.group):user-invalid *), .peer-user-invalid\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):user-invalid ~ *) {
+      :is(:where(.group):user-invalid .group-user-invalid\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):user-invalid ~ .peer-user-invalid\\:flex) {
         display: flex;
       }
 
@@ -462,7 +462,7 @@ test('in-range', async () => {
   expect(await run(['in-range:flex', 'group-in-range:flex', 'peer-in-range:flex']))
     .toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
-      .group-in-range\\:flex:is(:where(.group):in-range *), .peer-in-range\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):in-range ~ *), .in-range\\:flex:in-range {
+      :is(:where(.group):in-range .group-in-range\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):in-range ~ .peer-in-range\\:flex), .in-range\\:flex:in-range {
         display: flex;
       }
       "
@@ -474,7 +474,7 @@ test('out-of-range', async () => {
   expect(await run(['out-of-range:flex', 'group-out-of-range:flex', 'peer-out-of-range:flex']))
     .toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
-      .group-out-of-range\\:flex:is(:where(.group):out-of-range *), .peer-out-of-range\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):out-of-range ~ *), .out-of-range\\:flex:out-of-range {
+      :is(:where(.group):out-of-range .group-out-of-range\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):out-of-range ~ .peer-out-of-range\\:flex), .out-of-range\\:flex:out-of-range {
         display: flex;
       }
       "
@@ -486,7 +486,7 @@ test('read-only', async () => {
   expect(await run(['read-only:flex', 'group-read-only:flex', 'peer-read-only:flex']))
     .toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
-      .group-read-only\\:flex:is(:where(.group):read-only *), .peer-read-only\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):read-only ~ *), .read-only\\:flex:read-only {
+      :is(:where(.group):read-only .group-read-only\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):read-only ~ .peer-read-only\\:flex), .read-only\\:flex:read-only {
         display: flex;
       }
       "
@@ -497,7 +497,7 @@ test('read-only', async () => {
 test('empty', async () => {
   expect(await run(['empty:flex', 'group-empty:flex', 'peer-empty:flex'])).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
     "
-    .group-empty\\:flex:is(:where(.group):empty *), .peer-empty\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):empty ~ *), .empty\\:flex:empty {
+    :is(:where(.group):empty .group-empty\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):empty ~ .peer-empty\\:flex), .empty\\:flex:empty {
       display: flex;
     }
     "
@@ -509,7 +509,7 @@ test('focus-within', async () => {
   expect(await run(['focus-within:flex', 'group-focus-within:flex', 'peer-focus-within:flex']))
     .toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
-      .group-focus-within\\:flex:is(:where(.group):focus-within *), .peer-focus-within\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):focus-within ~ *), .focus-within\\:flex:focus-within {
+      :is(:where(.group):focus-within .group-focus-within\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):focus-within ~ .peer-focus-within\\:flex), .focus-within\\:flex:focus-within {
         display: flex;
       }
       "
@@ -521,7 +521,7 @@ test('hover', async () => {
   expect(await run(['hover:flex', 'group-hover:flex', 'peer-hover:flex'])).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
     "
     @media (hover: hover) {
-      .group-hover\\:flex:is(:where(.group):hover *), .peer-hover\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):hover ~ *), .hover\\:flex:hover {
+      :is(:where(.group):hover .group-hover\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):hover ~ .peer-hover\\:flex), .hover\\:flex:hover {
         display: flex;
       }
     }
@@ -533,7 +533,7 @@ test('hover', async () => {
 test('focus', async () => {
   expect(await run(['focus:flex', 'group-focus:flex', 'peer-focus:flex'])).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
     "
-    .group-focus\\:flex:is(:where(.group):focus *), .peer-focus\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):focus ~ *), .focus\\:flex:focus {
+    :is(:where(.group):focus .group-focus\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):focus ~ .peer-focus\\:flex), .focus\\:flex:focus {
       display: flex;
     }
     "
@@ -545,12 +545,12 @@ test('group-hover group-focus sorting', async () => {
   expect(await run(['group-hover:flex', 'group-focus:flex'])).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
     "
     @media (hover: hover) {
-      .group-hover\\:flex:is(:where(.group):hover *) {
+      :is(:where(.group):hover .group-hover\\:flex) {
         display: flex;
       }
     }
 
-    .group-focus\\:flex:is(:where(.group):focus *) {
+    :is(:where(.group):focus .group-focus\\:flex) {
       display: flex;
     }
     "
@@ -558,23 +558,36 @@ test('group-hover group-focus sorting', async () => {
   expect(await run(['group-focus:flex', 'group-hover:flex'])).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
     "
     @media (hover: hover) {
-      .group-hover\\:flex:is(:where(.group):hover *) {
+      :is(:where(.group):hover .group-hover\\:flex) {
         display: flex;
       }
     }
 
-    .group-focus\\:flex:is(:where(.group):focus *) {
+    :is(:where(.group):focus .group-focus\\:flex) {
       display: flex;
     }
     "
   `)
 })
 
+test('stacking group and peer variants does not duplicate the target selector', async () => {
+  let candidate = Array.from(
+    { length: 12 },
+    (_, i) => `${i % 2 === 0 ? 'group' : 'peer'}-data-active/name${i}`,
+  ).join(':')
+
+  let output = await run([`${candidate}:flex`])
+  expect(output).toContain('display: flex')
+  // Repeating `&` in each variant makes the generated selector grow
+  // exponentially. This many variants should still produce a small rule.
+  expect(output.length).toBeLessThan(2_000)
+})
+
 test('focus-visible', async () => {
   expect(await run(['focus-visible:flex', 'group-focus-visible:flex', 'peer-focus-visible:flex']))
     .toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
-      .group-focus-visible\\:flex:is(:where(.group):focus-visible *), .peer-focus-visible\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):focus-visible ~ *), .focus-visible\\:flex:focus-visible {
+      :is(:where(.group):focus-visible .group-focus-visible\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):focus-visible ~ .peer-focus-visible\\:flex), .focus-visible\\:flex:focus-visible {
         display: flex;
       }
       "
@@ -586,7 +599,7 @@ test('active', async () => {
   expect(await run(['active:flex', 'group-active:flex', 'peer-active:flex']))
     .toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
-      .group-active\\:flex:is(:where(.group):active *), .peer-active\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):active ~ *), .active\\:flex:active {
+      :is(:where(.group):active .group-active\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):active ~ .peer-active\\:flex), .active\\:flex:active {
         display: flex;
       }
       "
@@ -598,7 +611,7 @@ test('enabled', async () => {
   expect(await run(['enabled:flex', 'group-enabled:flex', 'peer-enabled:flex']))
     .toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
-      .group-enabled\\:flex:is(:where(.group):enabled *), .peer-enabled\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):enabled ~ *), .enabled\\:flex:enabled {
+      :is(:where(.group):enabled .group-enabled\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):enabled ~ .peer-enabled\\:flex), .enabled\\:flex:enabled {
         display: flex;
       }
       "
@@ -610,7 +623,7 @@ test('disabled', async () => {
   expect(await run(['disabled:flex', 'group-disabled:flex', 'peer-disabled:flex']))
     .toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       "
-      .group-disabled\\:flex:is(:where(.group):disabled *), .peer-disabled\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):disabled ~ *), .disabled\\:flex:disabled {
+      :is(:where(.group):disabled .group-disabled\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):disabled ~ .peer-disabled\\:flex), .disabled\\:flex:disabled {
         display: flex;
       }
       "
@@ -621,7 +634,7 @@ test('disabled', async () => {
 test('inert', async () => {
   expect(await run(['inert:flex', 'group-inert:flex', 'peer-inert:flex'])).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
     "
-    .group-inert\\:flex:is(:where(.group):is([inert], [inert] *) *), .peer-inert\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):is([inert], [inert] *) ~ *), .inert\\:flex:is([inert], [inert] *) {
+    :is(:where(.group):is([inert], [inert] *) .group-inert\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):is([inert], [inert] *) ~ .peer-inert\\:flex), .inert\\:flex:is([inert], [inert] *) {
       display: flex;
     }
     "
@@ -640,17 +653,17 @@ test('group-[...]', async () => {
     ]),
   ).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
     "
-    .group-\\[\\&_p\\]\\:flex:is(:where(.group) p *), .group-\\[\\&\\:hover\\]\\:group-\\[\\&_p\\]\\:flex:is(:where(.group):hover *):is(:where(.group) p *) {
+    :is(:where(.group) p .group-\\[\\&_p\\]\\:flex), :is(:where(.group) p :is(:where(.group):hover .group-\\[\\&\\:hover\\]\\:group-\\[\\&_p\\]\\:flex)) {
       display: flex;
     }
 
     @media (hover: hover) {
-      .group-\\[\\&_p\\]\\:hover\\:flex:is(:where(.group) p *):hover, .hover\\:group-\\[\\&_p\\]\\:flex:hover:is(:where(.group) p *) {
+      :is(:where(.group) p .group-\\[\\&_p\\]\\:hover\\:flex):hover, :is(:where(.group) p .hover\\:group-\\[\\&_p\\]\\:flex:hover) {
         display: flex;
       }
 
       @media (hover: hover) {
-        .hover\\:group-\\[\\&_p\\]\\:hover\\:flex:hover:is(:where(.group) p *):hover {
+        :is(:where(.group) p .hover\\:group-\\[\\&_p\\]\\:hover\\:flex:hover):hover {
           display: flex;
         }
       }
@@ -692,22 +705,22 @@ test('group-*', async () => {
   ).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
     "
     @media (hover: hover) {
-      .group-hover\\:flex:is(:where(.group):hover *) {
+      :is(:where(.group):hover .group-hover\\:flex) {
         display: flex;
       }
     }
 
-    .group-focus\\:flex:is(:where(.group):focus *) {
+    :is(:where(.group):focus .group-focus\\:flex) {
       display: flex;
     }
 
     @media (hover: hover) {
-      .group-focus\\:group-hover\\:flex:is(:where(.group):focus *):is(:where(.group):hover *), .group-hover\\:group-focus\\:flex:is(:where(.group):hover *):is(:where(.group):focus *) {
+      :is(:where(.group):hover :is(:where(.group):focus .group-focus\\:group-hover\\:flex)), :is(:where(.group):focus :is(:where(.group):hover .group-hover\\:group-focus\\:flex)) {
         display: flex;
       }
     }
 
-    .group-hocus\\:flex:is(:is(:where(.group):hover, :where(.group):focus) *) {
+    :is(:is(:where(.group):hover, :where(.group):focus) .group-hocus\\:flex) {
       display: flex;
     }
     "
@@ -742,12 +755,12 @@ test('peer-[...]', async () => {
     ]),
   ).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
     "
-    .peer-\\[\\&_p\\]\\:flex:is(:where(.peer) p ~ *), .peer-\\[\\&\\:hover\\]\\:peer-\\[\\&_p\\]\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):hover ~ *):is(:where(.peer) p ~ *) {
+    :is(:where(.peer) p ~ .peer-\\[\\&_p\\]\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer) p ~ :is(:where(.peer):hover ~ .peer-\\[\\&\\:hover\\]\\:peer-\\[\\&_p\\]\\:flex)) {
       display: flex;
     }
 
     @media (hover: hover) {
-      .hover\\:peer-\\[\\&_p\\]\\:flex:hover:is(:where(.peer) p ~ *), .peer-\\[\\&_p\\]\\:hover\\:flex:is(:where(.peer) p ~ *):hover, .hover\\:peer-\\[\\&_p\\]\\:focus\\:flex:hover:is(:where(.peer) p ~ *):focus {
+      :is(:where(.peer) p ~ .hover\\:peer-\\[\\&_p\\]\\:flex:hover), :is(:where(.peer) p ~ .peer-\\[\\&_p\\]\\:hover\\:flex):hover, :is(:where(.peer) p ~ .hover\\:peer-\\[\\&_p\\]\\:focus\\:flex:hover):focus {
         display: flex;
       }
     }
@@ -782,22 +795,22 @@ test('peer-*', async () => {
   ).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
     "
     @media (hover: hover) {
-      .peer-hover\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):hover ~ *) {
+      :is(:where(.peer):hover ~ .peer-hover\\:flex) {
         display: flex;
       }
     }
 
-    .peer-focus\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):focus ~ *) {
+    :is(:where(.peer):focus ~ .peer-focus\\:flex) {
       display: flex;
     }
 
     @media (hover: hover) {
-      .peer-focus\\:peer-hover\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):focus ~ *):is(:where(.peer):hover ~ *), .peer-hover\\:peer-focus\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):hover ~ *):is(:where(.peer):focus ~ *) {
+      :is(:where(.peer):hover ~ :is(:where(.peer):focus ~ .peer-focus\\:peer-hover\\:flex)), :is(:where(.peer):focus ~ :is(:where(.peer):hover ~ .peer-hover\\:peer-focus\\:flex)) {
         display: flex;
       }
     }
 
-    .peer-hocus\\:flex:is(:is(:where(.peer):hover, :where(.peer):focus) ~ *) {
+    :is(:is(:where(.peer):hover, :where(.peer):focus) ~ .peer-hocus\\:flex) {
       display: flex;
     }
     "
@@ -1897,7 +1910,7 @@ test('not', async () => {
       }
     }
 
-    .group-not-checked\\:flex:is(:where(.group):not(:checked) *), .group-not-hocus\\:flex:is(:where(.group):not(:hover, :focus) *), .group-not-hocus\\/parent-name\\:flex:is(:where(.group\\/parent-name):not(:hover, :focus) *), .group-not-\\[\\:checked\\]\\:flex:is(:where(.group):not(:checked) *), .group-not-\\[\\:checked\\]\\/parent-name\\:flex:is(:where(.group\\/parent-name):not(:checked) *), .peer-not-checked\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):not(:checked) ~ *), .peer-not-hocus\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):not(:hover, :focus) ~ *), .peer-not-hocus\\/sibling-name\\:flex:is(:where(.peer\\/sibling-name):not(:hover, :focus) ~ *), .peer-not-\\[\\:checked\\]\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):not(:checked) ~ *), .peer-not-\\[\\:checked\\]\\/sibling-name\\:flex:is(:where(.peer\\/sibling-name):not(:checked) ~ *) {
+    :is(:where(.group):not(:checked) .group-not-checked\\:flex), :is(:where(.group):not(:hover, :focus) .group-not-hocus\\:flex), :is(:where(.group\\/parent-name):not(:hover, :focus) .group-not-hocus\\/parent-name\\:flex), :is(:where(.group):not(:checked) .group-not-\\[\\:checked\\]\\:flex), :is(:where(.group\\/parent-name):not(:checked) .group-not-\\[\\:checked\\]\\/parent-name\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):not(:checked) ~ .peer-not-checked\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):not(:hover, :focus) ~ .peer-not-hocus\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer\\/sibling-name):not(:hover, :focus) ~ .peer-not-hocus\\/sibling-name\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):not(:checked) ~ .peer-not-\\[\\:checked\\]\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer\\/sibling-name):not(:checked) ~ .peer-not-\\[\\:checked\\]\\/sibling-name\\:flex) {
       display: flex;
     }
     "
@@ -2126,7 +2139,7 @@ test('has', async () => {
     ),
   ).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
     "
-    .group-has-checked\\:flex:is(:where(.group):has(:checked) *), .group-has-checked\\/parent-name\\:flex:is(:where(.group\\/parent-name):has(:checked) *), .group-has-hocus\\:flex:is(:where(.group):has(:hover, :focus) *), .group-has-hocus\\/parent-name\\:flex:is(:where(.group\\/parent-name):has(:hover, :focus) *), .group-has-\\[\\:checked\\]\\:flex:is(:where(.group):has(:checked) *), .group-has-\\[\\:checked\\]\\/parent-name\\:flex:is(:where(.group\\/parent-name):has(:checked) *), .group-has-\\[\\&\\>img\\]\\:flex:is(:where(.group):has(* > img) *), .group-has-\\[\\&\\>img\\]\\/parent-name\\:flex:is(:where(.group\\/parent-name):has(* > img) *), .group-has-\\[\\+img\\]\\:flex:is(:where(.group):has( + img) *), .group-has-\\[\\>img\\]\\:flex:is(:where(.group):has( > img) *), .group-has-\\[\\>img\\]\\/parent-name\\:flex:is(:where(.group\\/parent-name):has( > img) *), .group-has-\\[\\~img\\]\\:flex:is(:where(.group):has( ~ img) *), .peer-has-checked\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):has(:checked) ~ *), .peer-has-checked\\/sibling-name\\:flex:is(:where(.peer\\/sibling-name):has(:checked) ~ *), .peer-has-hocus\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):has(:hover, :focus) ~ *), .peer-has-hocus\\/sibling-name\\:flex:is(:where(.peer\\/sibling-name):has(:hover, :focus) ~ *), .peer-has-\\[\\:checked\\]\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):has(:checked) ~ *), .peer-has-\\[\\:checked\\]\\/sibling-name\\:flex:is(:where(.peer\\/sibling-name):has(:checked) ~ *), .peer-has-\\[\\&\\>img\\]\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):has(* > img) ~ *), .peer-has-\\[\\&\\>img\\]\\/sibling-name\\:flex:is(:where(.peer\\/sibling-name):has(* > img) ~ *), .peer-has-\\[\\+img\\]\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):has( + img) ~ *), .peer-has-\\[\\>img\\]\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):has( > img) ~ *), .peer-has-\\[\\>img\\]\\/sibling-name\\:flex:is(:where(.peer\\/sibling-name):has( > img) ~ *), .peer-has-\\[\\~img\\]\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):has( ~ img) ~ *), .has-checked\\:flex:has(:checked), .has-hocus\\:flex:has(:hover, :focus), .has-\\[\\:checked\\]\\:flex:has(:checked), .has-\\[\\&\\>img\\]\\:flex:has(* > img), .has-\\[\\+img\\]\\:flex:has( + img), .has-\\[\\>img\\]\\:flex:has( > img), .has-\\[\\~img\\]\\:flex:has( ~ img) {
+    :is(:where(.group):has(:checked) .group-has-checked\\:flex), :is(:where(.group\\/parent-name):has(:checked) .group-has-checked\\/parent-name\\:flex), :is(:where(.group):has(:hover, :focus) .group-has-hocus\\:flex), :is(:where(.group\\/parent-name):has(:hover, :focus) .group-has-hocus\\/parent-name\\:flex), :is(:where(.group):has(:checked) .group-has-\\[\\:checked\\]\\:flex), :is(:where(.group\\/parent-name):has(:checked) .group-has-\\[\\:checked\\]\\/parent-name\\:flex), :is(:where(.group):has(* > img) .group-has-\\[\\&\\>img\\]\\:flex), :is(:where(.group\\/parent-name):has(* > img) .group-has-\\[\\&\\>img\\]\\/parent-name\\:flex), :is(:where(.group):has( + img) .group-has-\\[\\+img\\]\\:flex), :is(:where(.group):has( > img) .group-has-\\[\\>img\\]\\:flex), :is(:where(.group\\/parent-name):has( > img) .group-has-\\[\\>img\\]\\/parent-name\\:flex), :is(:where(.group):has( ~ img) .group-has-\\[\\~img\\]\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):has(:checked) ~ .peer-has-checked\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer\\/sibling-name):has(:checked) ~ .peer-has-checked\\/sibling-name\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):has(:hover, :focus) ~ .peer-has-hocus\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer\\/sibling-name):has(:hover, :focus) ~ .peer-has-hocus\\/sibling-name\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):has(:checked) ~ .peer-has-\\[\\:checked\\]\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer\\/sibling-name):has(:checked) ~ .peer-has-\\[\\:checked\\]\\/sibling-name\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):has(* > img) ~ .peer-has-\\[\\&\\>img\\]\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer\\/sibling-name):has(* > img) ~ .peer-has-\\[\\&\\>img\\]\\/sibling-name\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):has( + img) ~ .peer-has-\\[\\+img\\]\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):has( > img) ~ .peer-has-\\[\\>img\\]\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer\\/sibling-name):has( > img) ~ .peer-has-\\[\\>img\\]\\/sibling-name\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):has( ~ img) ~ .peer-has-\\[\\~img\\]\\:flex), .has-checked\\:flex:has(:checked), .has-hocus\\:flex:has(:hover, :focus), .has-\\[\\:checked\\]\\:flex:has(:checked), .has-\\[\\&\\>img\\]\\:flex:has(* > img), .has-\\[\\+img\\]\\:flex:has( + img), .has-\\[\\>img\\]\\:flex:has( > img), .has-\\[\\~img\\]\\:flex:has( ~ img) {
       display: flex;
     }
     "
@@ -2179,7 +2192,7 @@ test('aria', async () => {
     ]),
   ).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
     "
-    .group-aria-checked\\:flex:is(:where(.group)[aria-checked="true"] *), .group-aria-checked\\/parent-name\\:flex:is(:where(.group\\/parent-name)[aria-checked="true"] *), .group-aria-\\[modal\\]\\:flex:is(:where(.group)[aria-modal] *), .group-aria-\\[modal\\]\\/parent-name\\:flex:is(:where(.group\\/parent-name)[aria-modal] *), .group-aria-\\[valuenow\\=1\\]\\:flex:is(:where(.group)[aria-valuenow="1"] *), .group-aria-\\[valuenow\\=1\\]\\/parent-name\\:flex:is(:where(.group\\/parent-name)[aria-valuenow="1"] *), .peer-aria-checked\\:flex:is(:where(.peer)[aria-checked="true"] ~ *), .peer-aria-checked\\/sibling-name\\:flex:is(:where(.peer\\/sibling-name)[aria-checked="true"] ~ *), .peer-aria-\\[modal\\]\\:flex:is(:where(.peer)[aria-modal] ~ *), .peer-aria-\\[modal\\]\\/sibling-name\\:flex:is(:where(.peer\\/sibling-name)[aria-modal] ~ *), .peer-aria-\\[valuenow\\=1\\]\\:flex:is(:where(.peer)[aria-valuenow="1"] ~ *), .peer-aria-\\[valuenow\\=1\\]\\/sibling-name\\:flex:is(:where(.peer\\/sibling-name)[aria-valuenow="1"] ~ *), .aria-checked\\:flex[aria-checked="true"], .aria-\\[invalid\\=spelling\\]\\:flex[aria-invalid="spelling"], .aria-\\[valuenow_\\=_\\"1\\"\\]\\:flex[aria-valuenow="1"], .aria-\\[valuenow\\=1\\]\\:flex[aria-valuenow="1"] {
+    :is(:where(.group)[aria-checked="true"] .group-aria-checked\\:flex), :is(:where(.group\\/parent-name)[aria-checked="true"] .group-aria-checked\\/parent-name\\:flex), :is(:where(.group)[aria-modal] .group-aria-\\[modal\\]\\:flex), :is(:where(.group\\/parent-name)[aria-modal] .group-aria-\\[modal\\]\\/parent-name\\:flex), :is(:where(.group)[aria-valuenow="1"] .group-aria-\\[valuenow\\=1\\]\\:flex), :is(:where(.group\\/parent-name)[aria-valuenow="1"] .group-aria-\\[valuenow\\=1\\]\\/parent-name\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer)[aria-checked="true"] ~ .peer-aria-checked\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer\\/sibling-name)[aria-checked="true"] ~ .peer-aria-checked\\/sibling-name\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer)[aria-modal] ~ .peer-aria-\\[modal\\]\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer\\/sibling-name)[aria-modal] ~ .peer-aria-\\[modal\\]\\/sibling-name\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer)[aria-valuenow="1"] ~ .peer-aria-\\[valuenow\\=1\\]\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer\\/sibling-name)[aria-valuenow="1"] ~ .peer-aria-\\[valuenow\\=1\\]\\/sibling-name\\:flex), .aria-checked\\:flex[aria-checked="true"], .aria-\\[invalid\\=spelling\\]\\:flex[aria-invalid="spelling"], .aria-\\[valuenow_\\=_\\"1\\"\\]\\:flex[aria-valuenow="1"], .aria-\\[valuenow\\=1\\]\\:flex[aria-valuenow="1"] {
       display: flex;
     }
     "
@@ -2218,7 +2231,7 @@ test('data', async () => {
     ]),
   ).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
     "
-    .group-data-\\[disabled\\]\\:flex:is(:where(.group)[data-disabled] *), .group-data-\\[disabled\\]\\/parent-name\\:flex:is(:where(.group\\/parent-name)[data-disabled] *), .group-data-\\[foo\\$\\=\\'bar\\'_i\\]\\/parent-name\\:flex:is(:where(.group\\/parent-name)[data-foo$="bar" i] *), .group-data-\\[foo\\$\\=bar_baz_i\\]\\/parent-name\\:flex:is(:where(.group\\/parent-name)[data-foo$="bar baz" i] *), .group-data-\\[foo\\=1\\]\\:flex:is(:where(.group)[data-foo="1"] *), .group-data-\\[foo\\=1\\]\\/parent-name\\:flex:is(:where(.group\\/parent-name)[data-foo="1"] *), .group-data-\\[foo\\=bar\\ baz\\]\\/parent-name\\:flex:is(:where(.group\\/parent-name)[data-foo="bar baz"] *), .peer-data-\\[disabled\\]\\:flex:is(:where(.peer)[data-disabled] ~ *), .peer-data-\\[disabled\\]\\/sibling-name\\:flex:is(:where(.peer\\/sibling-name)[data-disabled] ~ *), .peer-data-\\[foo\\$\\=\\'bar\\'_i\\]\\/sibling-name\\:flex:is(:where(.peer\\/sibling-name)[data-foo$="bar" i] ~ *), .peer-data-\\[foo\\$\\=bar_baz_i\\]\\/sibling-name\\:flex:is(:where(.peer\\/sibling-name)[data-foo$="bar baz" i] ~ *), .peer-data-\\[foo\\=1\\]\\:flex:is(:where(.peer)[data-foo="1"] ~ *), .peer-data-\\[foo\\=1\\]\\/sibling-name\\:flex:is(:where(.peer\\/sibling-name)[data-foo="1"] ~ *), .peer-data-\\[foo\\=bar\\ baz\\]\\/sibling-name\\:flex:is(:where(.peer\\/sibling-name)[data-foo="bar baz"] ~ *), .data-disabled\\:flex[data-disabled], .data-\\[foo\\$\\=\\'bar\\'_i\\]\\:flex[data-foo$="bar" i], .data-\\[foo\\$\\=bar_baz_i\\]\\:flex[data-foo$="bar baz" i], .data-\\[foo\\=1\\]\\:flex[data-foo="1"], .data-\\[foo\\=bar_baz\\]\\:flex[data-foo="bar baz"], .data-\\[potato_\\=_\\"salad\\"\\]\\:flex[data-potato="salad"], .data-\\[potato_\\^\\=_\\"salad\\"\\]\\:flex[data-potato^="salad"], .data-\\[potato\\=\\"\\^_\\=\\"\\]\\:flex[data-potato="^ ="], .data-\\[potato\\=salad\\]\\:flex[data-potato="salad"] {
+    :is(:where(.group)[data-disabled] .group-data-\\[disabled\\]\\:flex), :is(:where(.group\\/parent-name)[data-disabled] .group-data-\\[disabled\\]\\/parent-name\\:flex), :is(:where(.group\\/parent-name)[data-foo$="bar" i] .group-data-\\[foo\\$\\=\\'bar\\'_i\\]\\/parent-name\\:flex), :is(:where(.group\\/parent-name)[data-foo$="bar baz" i] .group-data-\\[foo\\$\\=bar_baz_i\\]\\/parent-name\\:flex), :is(:where(.group)[data-foo="1"] .group-data-\\[foo\\=1\\]\\:flex), :is(:where(.group\\/parent-name)[data-foo="1"] .group-data-\\[foo\\=1\\]\\/parent-name\\:flex), :is(:where(.group\\/parent-name)[data-foo="bar baz"] .group-data-\\[foo\\=bar\\ baz\\]\\/parent-name\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer)[data-disabled] ~ .peer-data-\\[disabled\\]\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer\\/sibling-name)[data-disabled] ~ .peer-data-\\[disabled\\]\\/sibling-name\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer\\/sibling-name)[data-foo$="bar" i] ~ .peer-data-\\[foo\\$\\=\\'bar\\'_i\\]\\/sibling-name\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer\\/sibling-name)[data-foo$="bar baz" i] ~ .peer-data-\\[foo\\$\\=bar_baz_i\\]\\/sibling-name\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer)[data-foo="1"] ~ .peer-data-\\[foo\\=1\\]\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer\\/sibling-name)[data-foo="1"] ~ .peer-data-\\[foo\\=1\\]\\/sibling-name\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer\\/sibling-name)[data-foo="bar baz"] ~ .peer-data-\\[foo\\=bar\\ baz\\]\\/sibling-name\\:flex), .data-disabled\\:flex[data-disabled], .data-\\[foo\\$\\=\\'bar\\'_i\\]\\:flex[data-foo$="bar" i], .data-\\[foo\\$\\=bar_baz_i\\]\\:flex[data-foo$="bar baz" i], .data-\\[foo\\=1\\]\\:flex[data-foo="1"], .data-\\[foo\\=bar_baz\\]\\:flex[data-foo="bar baz"], .data-\\[potato_\\=_\\"salad\\"\\]\\:flex[data-potato="salad"], .data-\\[potato_\\^\\=_\\"salad\\"\\]\\:flex[data-potato^="salad"], .data-\\[potato\\=\\"\\^_\\=\\"\\]\\:flex[data-potato="^ ="], .data-\\[potato\\=salad\\]\\:flex[data-potato="salad"] {
       display: flex;
     }
     "
@@ -2717,7 +2730,7 @@ test('variant order', async () => {
     }
 
     @media (hover: hover) {
-      .group-hover\\:flex:is(:where(.group):hover *), .peer-hover\\:flex:is(:where(.peer):hover ~ *) {
+      :is(:where(.group):hover .group-hover\\:flex), :is(:where(.peer):hover ~ .peer-hover\\:flex) {
         display: flex;
       }
     }
@@ -2990,7 +3003,7 @@ test('move modifier of compound variant to sub-variant if its also a compound va
     ]),
   ).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
     "
-    .not-group-focus\\/name\\:flex:not(:is(:where(.group\\/name):focus *)), .group-peer-focus\\/name\\:flex:is(:where(.group\\/name):is(:where(.peer):focus ~ *) *), :where(:is(:where(.group\\/name):focus *)) .in-group-focus\\/name\\:flex, .has-group-focus\\/name\\:flex:has(:is(:where(.group\\/name):focus *)) {
+    .not-group-focus\\/name\\:flex:not(:is(:where(.group\\/name):focus *)), :is(:is(:where(.peer):focus ~ :where(.group\\/name)) .group-peer-focus\\/name\\:flex), :where(:is(:where(.group\\/name):focus *)) .in-group-focus\\/name\\:flex, .has-group-focus\\/name\\:flex:has(:is(:where(.group\\/name):focus *)) {
       display: flex;
     }
     "
diff --git a/packages/tailwindcss/src/variants.ts b/packages/tailwindcss/src/variants.ts
index c13c3ae12..d2695b4d2 100644
--- a/packages/tailwindcss/src/variants.ts
+++ b/packages/tailwindcss/src/variants.ts
@@ -610,7 +610,13 @@ export function createVariants(theme: Theme): Variants {
         selector = `:is(${selector})`
       }
 
-      node.selector = `&:is(${selector} *)`
+      // Put the target inside `:is` so browsers can limit style invalidation to
+      // it when the group changes. Keep `&` instead of the candidate's class so
+      // this also works with `@apply` and variants that change the target.
+      //
+      // The `:is` wrapper also keeps `has-group-*` from anchoring the group
+      // itself to the element carrying the utility.
+      node.selector = `:is(${selector} &)`
 
       // Track that the variant was actually applied
       didApply = true
@@ -651,7 +657,7 @@ export function createVariants(theme: Theme): Variants {
 
       // For most variants we rely entirely on CSS nesting to build-up the final
       // selector, but there is no way to use CSS nesting to make `&` refer to
-      // just the `.group` class the way we'd need to for these variants, so we
+      // just the `.peer` class the way we'd need to for these variants, so we
       // need to replace it in the selector ourselves.
       let selector = node.selector.replaceAll('&', variantSelector)
 
@@ -662,7 +668,8 @@ export function createVariants(theme: Theme): Variants {
         selector = `:is(${selector})`
       }
 
-      node.selector = `&:is(${selector} ~ *)`
+      // As with `group`, constrain the target without repeating its selector.
+      node.selector = `:is(${selector} ~ &)`
 
       // Track that the variant was actually applied
       didApply = true
diff --git a/packages/tailwindcss/tests/ui.spec.ts b/packages/tailwindcss/tests/ui.spec.ts
index 70ba7bd0f..e5da091d8 100644
--- a/packages/tailwindcss/tests/ui.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/tailwindcss/tests/ui.spec.ts
@@ -2387,6 +2387,120 @@ test('shadow DOM has access to variables', async ({ page }) => {
   }
 }
 
+for (let kind of ['group', 'peer']) {
+  test(`${kind}-* variants`, async ({ page }) => {
+    let targets = html`
+      <div id="target" class="${kind}-focus:z-10"></div>
+      <div id="applied" class="applied"></div>
+    `
+
+    let { getPropertyValue } = await render(
+      page,
+      kind === 'group'
+        ? html`<div id="trigger" tabindex="0" class="group owner">${targets}</div>`
+        : html`<div class="owner">
+            <div id="trigger" tabindex="0" class="peer"></div>
+            ${targets}
+          </div>`,
+      css`
+        .owner > .applied {
+          @apply ${kind}-focus:z-20;
+        }
+      `,
+    )
+
+    expect(await getPropertyValue('#target', 'z-index')).toEqual('auto')
+    expect(await getPropertyValue('#applied', 'z-index')).toEqual('auto')
+
+    await page.locator('#trigger').focus()
+
+    expect(await getPropertyValue('#target', 'z-index')).toEqual('10')
+    expect(await getPropertyValue('#applied', 'z-index')).toEqual('20')
+
+    await page.locator('#trigger').blur()
+
+    expect(await getPropertyValue('#target', 'z-index')).toEqual('auto')
+    expect(await getPropertyValue('#applied', 'z-index')).toEqual('auto')
+  })
+}
+
+test('group-* variants do not change specificity', async ({ page }) => {
+  let { getPropertyValue } = await render(
+    page,
+    html`
+      <div id="trigger" tabindex="0" class="group">
+        <div id="target" class="target group-focus:z-10"></div>
+      </div>
+    `,
+    css`
+      @layer utilities {
+        .target {
+          z-index: 20;
+        }
+        .target.equal {
+          z-index: 30;
+        }
+      }
+    `,
+  )
+
+  await page.locator('#trigger').focus()
+
+  expect(await getPropertyValue('#target', 'z-index')).toEqual('10')
+
+  await page.locator('#target').evaluate((element) => element.classList.add('equal'))
+
+  expect(await getPropertyValue('#target', 'z-index')).toEqual('30')
+})
+
+test('stacked group-* variants match regardless of the order of the groups', async ({ page }) => {
+  for (let [outer, inner] of [
+    ['a', 'b'],
+    ['b', 'a'],
+  ]) {
+    let { getPropertyValue } = await render(
+      page,
+      html`
+        <div class="group/${outer}" data-active>
+          <div id="inner" class="group/${inner}" data-active>
+            <div id="target" class="group-data-active/a:group-data-active/b:z-10"></div>
+          </div>
+        </div>
+      `,
+    )
+
+    expect(await getPropertyValue('#target', 'z-index')).toEqual('10')
+
+    await page.locator('#inner').evaluate((element) => element.removeAttribute('data-active'))
+
+    expect(await getPropertyValue('#target', 'z-index')).toEqual('auto')
+  }
+})
+
+test('compound group-* and peer-* variants', async ({ page }) => {
+  let { getPropertyValue } = await render(
+    page,
+    html`
+      <div id="outer" tabindex="0" class="group">
+        <div id="peer" tabindex="0" class="peer"></div>
+        <div id="middle" class="group peer-group-focus:z-20">
+          <div id="target" class="group-peer-focus:z-10"></div>
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    `,
+  )
+
+  await page.locator('#peer').focus()
+
+  expect(await getPropertyValue('#target', 'z-index')).toEqual('10')
+  expect(await getPropertyValue('#middle', 'z-index')).toEqual('auto')
+
+  await page.locator('#outer').focus()
+
+  expect(await getPropertyValue('#target', 'z-index')).toEqual('auto')
+  expect(await getPropertyValue('#middle', 'z-index')).toEqual('20')
+})
+
 // ---
 
 const preflight = fs.readFileSync(path.resolve(__dirname, '..', 'preflight.css'), 'utf-8')