Perhaps it's 2-fold: 1. if the site requires pop-ups to function, then wouldn't it be handy to have it in front of you? Few apps run this model anymore, but it

Perhaps it's 2-fold: 1. if the site requires pop-ups to function, then wouldn't it be handy to have it in front of you? Few apps run this model anymore, but it used to be very prevalent. 2. to highlight the sites that use pop-ups in an underhanded way; by forcing them onto the tab that caused them, hopefully you'd realize the source of the problem. then, complain or quit using that site, indirectly discouraging the use of pop-ups. (although according to a guy above, users actually blamed the ads on Chrome instead).