[maxiepoo]

Can you not do the same thing as JSON.parse() in Elm by parsing into an unstructured JSON type?

[mjaniczek]

Parsing into Json.Encode.Value gives you that Value but no way to work with it except, at later time, using Json.Decode.decodeValue on it. And you're back to specifying decoders...

[maxiepoo]

Seems like you could easily make a library that just parses into some Union type that represents JSON values.

It's likely a design decision to force people that otherwise wouldn't to represent their data in a more structured way.