diff --git a/frontend/app.js b/frontend/app.js
index ac91b06..9d96a90 100755
--- a/frontend/app.js
+++ b/frontend/app.js
@@ -1995,8 +1995,10 @@ function renderHomePlaylists() {
   wrap.classList.toggle('hidden', !lists.length);
   hero.classList.toggle('hidden', !!lists.length);
   // The hero is centered art; the grid wants the full box, so the placeholder
-  // switches from centering to stretching (and tightens its padding).
+  // switches from centering to stretching (and tightens its padding), and the
+  // stage drops its 16:9 lock so the grid gets the pane's real height.
   if (els.placeholder) els.placeholder.classList.toggle('showing-playlists', !!lists.length);
+  if (els.playerPane) els.playerPane.classList.toggle('home-playlists', !!lists.length);
   if (!lists.length) { grid.innerHTML = ''; return; }
 
   grid.innerHTML = '';
@@ -2024,6 +2026,20 @@ function renderHomePlaylists() {
     });
     grid.appendChild(card);
   }
+  // Measure after layout — scrollHeight is meaningless until the cards lay out.
+  requestAnimationFrame(updateHomeGridScrollState);
+}
+
+// With enough playlists the grid still has to scroll. Flag when it genuinely
+// overflows (and whether it's at the end) so the CSS fades the bottom edge
+// instead of slicing the last row against a hard border.
+function updateHomeGridScrollState() {
+  const grid = document.getElementById('homePlGrid');
+  if (!grid) return;
+  const overflows = grid.scrollHeight > grid.clientHeight + 1;
+  grid.classList.toggle('is-scrollable', overflows);
+  grid.classList.toggle('at-end', !overflows ||
+    grid.scrollTop + grid.clientHeight >= grid.scrollHeight - 2);
 }
 
 function currentList() {
@@ -3353,6 +3369,8 @@ function wireUI() {
 
   // ---- Empty-home playlist grid ----
   $('homePlNewBtn').addEventListener('click', () => newPlaylist(null));
+  $('homePlGrid').addEventListener('scroll', updateHomeGridScrollState, { passive: true });
+  window.addEventListener('resize', updateHomeGridScrollState);
 
   els.searchForm.addEventListener('submit', async (e) => {
     e.preventDefault();
diff --git a/frontend/styles.css b/frontend/styles.css
index 30356db..89cea7d 100755
--- a/frontend/styles.css
+++ b/frontend/styles.css
@@ -366,6 +366,21 @@ body::after {
 
 /* Empty home: the playlist grid takes the hero's place once playlists exist */
 .player-placeholder.showing-playlists { padding: 16px; align-items: stretch; }
+/* The 16:9 stage exists to hold a video, and on the empty home there isn't one
+   (controls / now-meta / up-next are hidden too). Constraining the playlist
+   grid to that short box clipped it mid-card, so let the stage take the pane's
+   height instead. Reverts the moment something plays — `.empty` comes off. */
+.player-pane.empty.home-playlists .player-stage {
+  aspect-ratio: auto;
+  flex: 1 1 auto;
+  min-height: 260px;
+}
+/* Bottom fade, applied only while the grid actually overflows and isn't
+   scrolled to the end — a half-row under a hard edge reads as broken. */
+.home-pl-grid.is-scrollable:not(.at-end) {
+  -webkit-mask-image: linear-gradient(180deg, #000 calc(100% - 30px), transparent 100%);
+          mask-image: linear-gradient(180deg, #000 calc(100% - 30px), transparent 100%);
+}
 .home-pl {
   flex: 1 1 auto; align-self: stretch; min-width: 0; max-height: 100%;
   display: flex; flex-direction: column; gap: 10px;
@@ -1425,6 +1440,9 @@ input[type="range"]::-webkit-slider-thumb:hover { transform: scale(1.25); }
   /* Empty-home playlist grid: the player stage is short on phones, so pack in
      more, smaller cards rather than one oversized full-width column. */
   .player-placeholder.showing-playlists { padding: 12px; }
+  /* …but don't let it eat the whole screen — the list pane must stay reachable
+     without scrolling past a full-height board. */
+  .player-pane.empty.home-playlists .player-stage { max-height: 58vh; }
   .home-pl-grid { grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, minmax(92px, 1fr)); gap: 10px; }
   .home-pl-title { font-size: 15px; }
   .home-pl-name { font-size: 12px; }