Shadow DOM is a part of HTML and web browsers that allows a web developer to create a special, separate area in a web page that looks and behaves like it has its own elements and styles. It's like a mini web within a web page. For example, if you have a button on a page and you want it to look different from the rest of the page, you can put it in a shadow DOM and give it its own style. The shadow DOM is like a secret place, hidden within the page, where the special elements and styles can be kept separate from the rest of the page.