Javascript is often referred to as the assembly language of the web. It is used to add interactivity and dynamic behavior to web pages. Some key uses of Javascript include making asynchronous requests to servers for dynamic content updates without reloading the entire page, manipulating elements on a page through actions like hiding/showing elements, and communicating with web services to retrieve and display content in formats like JSON and XML. Frameworks built on Javascript like jQuery, SproutCore, Google Web Toolkit, and Cappuccino further enhance its capabilities for building interactive web applications.