diff --git a/web/src/routes/+page.svelte b/web/src/routes/+page.svelte
index 80c500e0..1ecdfb48 100644
--- a/web/src/routes/+page.svelte
+++ b/web/src/routes/+page.svelte
@@ -7,6 +7,11 @@
   import CompactTrackCard from '$lib/components/CompactTrackCard.svelte';
   import ApiErrorBanner from '$lib/components/ApiErrorBanner.svelte';
   import { useDelayed } from '$lib/utils/useDelayed.svelte';
+  import PlaylistCard from '$lib/components/PlaylistCard.svelte';
+  import PlaylistPlaceholderCard from '$lib/components/PlaylistPlaceholderCard.svelte';
+  import { createPlaylistsQuery } from '$lib/api/playlists';
+  import { createSystemPlaylistsStatusQuery } from '$lib/api/me';
+  import type { Playlist } from '$lib/api/types';
 
   const queryStore = createHomeQuery();
   const query = $derived($queryStore);
@@ -21,11 +26,91 @@
     for (let i = 0; i < items.length; i += size) out.push(items.slice(i, i + size));
     return out;
   }
+
+  const systemPlaylistsStore = $derived(createPlaylistsQuery('system'));
+  const userPlaylistsStore   = $derived(createPlaylistsQuery('user'));
+  const systemStatusStore    = $derived(createSystemPlaylistsStatusQuery());
+
+  const systemPlaylistsQ = $derived($systemPlaylistsStore);
+  const userPlaylistsQ   = $derived($userPlaylistsStore);
+  const systemStatusQ    = $derived($systemStatusStore);
+
+  const forYouPlaylist = $derived(
+    (systemPlaylistsQ.data?.owned ?? []).find((p) => p.system_variant === 'for_you') ?? null
+  );
+
+  const songsLikePlaylists = $derived(
+    (systemPlaylistsQ.data?.owned ?? [])
+      .filter((p) => p.system_variant === 'songs_like_artist')
+      .slice(0, 3)
+  );
+
+  const userPlaylists = $derived(userPlaylistsQ.data?.owned ?? []);
+
+  type PlaceholderVariant = 'building' | 'failed' | 'pending' | 'seed-needed';
+  function placeholderVariant(slot: 'for-you' | 'songs-like'): PlaceholderVariant {
+    const s = systemStatusQ.data;
+    if (!s) return 'pending';
+    if (s.in_flight) return 'building';
+    if (s.last_error) return 'failed';
+    if (slot === 'songs-like' && s.last_run_at) return 'seed-needed';
+    return 'pending';
+  }
+
+  type PlaylistRowItem =
+    | { kind: 'real'; playlist: Playlist }
+    | { kind: 'placeholder'; label: string; variant: PlaceholderVariant };
+
+  const playlistsRow = $derived.by((): PlaylistRowItem[] => {
+    const out: PlaylistRowItem[] = [];
+
+    // Slot 1: For-You (real or placeholder).
+    if (forYouPlaylist) {
+      out.push({ kind: 'real', playlist: forYouPlaylist });
+    } else {
+      out.push({ kind: 'placeholder', label: 'For You', variant: placeholderVariant('for-you') });
+    }
+
+    // Slots 2-4: Songs-like (real first, padded with placeholders).
+    for (let i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
+      if (songsLikePlaylists[i]) {
+        out.push({ kind: 'real', playlist: songsLikePlaylists[i] });
+      } else {
+        out.push({ kind: 'placeholder', label: 'Songs like…', variant: placeholderVariant('songs-like') });
+      }
+    }
+
+    // User playlists trail (server returns most-recently-updated first).
+    for (const p of userPlaylists) {
+      out.push({ kind: 'real', playlist: p });
+    }
+
+    return out;
+  });
 </script>
 
 <svelte:head><title>{pageTitle('Home')}</title></svelte:head>
 
 <div class="space-y-8">
+  <!-- Playlists: For-You + Songs-like + user playlists, single horizontal row -->
+  <section class="space-y-3">
+    <HorizontalScrollRow
+      rows={[playlistsRow]}
+      title="Playlists"
+      ariaLabel="Playlists"
+    >
+      {#snippet item(rowItem: PlaylistRowItem)}
+        <div class="w-44">
+          {#if rowItem.kind === 'real'}
+            <PlaylistCard playlist={rowItem.playlist} />
+          {:else}
+            <PlaylistPlaceholderCard label={rowItem.label} variant={rowItem.variant} />
+          {/if}
+        </div>
+      {/snippet}
+    </HorizontalScrollRow>
+  </section>
+
   {#if query.isError}
     <ApiErrorBanner error={query.error} onRetry={query.refetch} />
   {:else if showSkeleton.value && !data}
diff --git a/web/src/routes/page.test.ts b/web/src/routes/page.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b489a916
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/src/routes/page.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, test, vi } from 'vitest';
+import { render, screen } from '@testing-library/svelte';
+import { readable } from 'svelte/store';
+import type { Playlist } from '$lib/api/types';
+
+// Mock all the queries the home page constructs.
+vi.mock('$lib/api/home', () => ({
+  createHomeQuery: () =>
+    readable({
+      data: {
+        recently_added_albums: [],
+        most_played_tracks: [],
+        rediscover_albums: [],
+        rediscover_artists: [],
+        last_played_artists: []
+      },
+      isPending: false,
+      isError: false,
+      refetch: vi.fn()
+    })
+}));
+
+vi.mock('$lib/api/playlists', () => ({
+  createPlaylistsQuery: vi.fn()
+}));
+
+vi.mock('$lib/api/me', () => ({
+  createSystemPlaylistsStatusQuery: vi.fn()
+}));
+
+// LikeButton imports — needed because the home renders cards that may use it.
+vi.mock('$lib/api/likes', () => ({
+  createLikedIdsQuery: () =>
+    readable({ data: { track_ids: [], album_ids: [], artist_ids: [] }, isPending: false, isError: false }),
+  likeEntity: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
+  unlikeEntity: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined)
+}));
+
+vi.mock('@tanstack/svelte-query', async (orig) => {
+  const actual = (await orig()) as Record<string, unknown>;
+  return { ...actual, useQueryClient: () => ({ invalidateQueries: vi.fn() }) };
+});
+
+import Page from './+page.svelte';
+import { createPlaylistsQuery } from '$lib/api/playlists';
+import { createSystemPlaylistsStatusQuery } from '$lib/api/me';
+
+const emptyPlaylistsResponse = { owned: [], public: [] };
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+  (createPlaylistsQuery as unknown as ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>).mockImplementation(() =>
+    readable({ data: emptyPlaylistsResponse, isPending: false, isError: false })
+  );
+  (createSystemPlaylistsStatusQuery as unknown as ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>).mockReturnValue(
+    readable({
+      data: { in_flight: false, last_run_at: null, last_error: null },
+      isPending: false,
+      isError: false
+    })
+  );
+});
+
+afterEach(() => vi.clearAllMocks());
+
+describe('home Playlists section', () => {
+  test('renders 4 placeholder cards when no playlists exist', () => {
+    render(Page);
+    const placeholders = screen.queryAllByTestId('playlist-placeholder-card');
+    expect(placeholders).toHaveLength(4);
+  });
+
+  test('building status sets variant=building on placeholders', () => {
+    (createSystemPlaylistsStatusQuery as unknown as ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>).mockReturnValue(
+      readable({
+        data: { in_flight: true, last_run_at: null, last_error: null },
+        isPending: false,
+        isError: false
+      })
+    );
+    const { container } = render(Page);
+    const buildingPlaceholders = container.querySelectorAll('[data-variant="building"]');
+    expect(buildingPlaceholders.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+  });
+
+  test('renders For-You playlist + 3 placeholders when only for_you exists', () => {
+    const forYou: Playlist = {
+      id: 'fy',
+      user_id: 'u1',
+      owner_username: 'u1',
+      name: 'For You',
+      description: '',
+      is_public: false,
+      kind: 'system',
+      system_variant: 'for_you',
+      seed_artist_id: null,
+      cover_url: '',
+      track_count: 25,
+      duration_sec: 1500,
+      created_at: '2026-05-04T00:00:00Z',
+      updated_at: '2026-05-04T00:00:00Z'
+    };
+    (createPlaylistsQuery as unknown as ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>).mockImplementation(
+      (kind?: string) =>
+        kind === 'system'
+          ? readable({
+              data: { owned: [forYou], public: [] },
+              isPending: false,
+              isError: false
+            })
+          : readable({ data: emptyPlaylistsResponse, isPending: false, isError: false })
+    );
+    render(Page);
+    expect(screen.getByText('For You')).toBeInTheDocument();
+    const placeholders = screen.queryAllByTestId('playlist-placeholder-card');
+    expect(placeholders).toHaveLength(3); // 3 songs-like slots
+  });
+});