IMO, PHP brings a few things to the table that keep it alive and kicking:
1. You can dynamically load code as you go. This alone allows Wordpress to download and use plugins straight away. You can't do this with Go and it's not as simple with Python.
2. The shared nothing architecture means it's almost trivial to scale out.
3. It's a language easy to pick up and the absence to watch directories and hot reload code gives it the fastest dev experience ever.
Modern PHP looks like Java, without the performance.
1. You can dynamically load code as you go. This alone allows Wordpress to download and use plugins straight away. You can't do this with Go and it's not as simple with Python.
2. The shared nothing architecture means it's almost trivial to scale out.
3. It's a language easy to pick up and the absence to watch directories and hot reload code gives it the fastest dev experience ever.
Modern PHP looks like Java, without the performance.