diff --git a/frontend/src/components/redpanda-ui/components/dropdown-menu.test.tsx b/frontend/src/components/redpanda-ui/components/dropdown-menu.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1344e99b0b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/components/redpanda-ui/components/dropdown-menu.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+import { render, screen } from '@testing-library/react';
+import userEvent from '@testing-library/user-event';
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+
+import { Button } from './button';
+import { DropdownMenu, DropdownMenuContent, DropdownMenuItem, DropdownMenuTrigger } from './dropdown-menu';
+
+function TestDropdownMenu() {
+  return (
+    <DropdownMenu>
+      <DropdownMenuTrigger asChild>
+        <Button>Open user menu</Button>
+      </DropdownMenuTrigger>
+      <DropdownMenuContent align="end" className="custom-menu" data-testid="user-menu" id="user-menu" side="top">
+        <DropdownMenuItem>Preferences</DropdownMenuItem>
+      </DropdownMenuContent>
+    </DropdownMenu>
+  );
+}
+
+describe('DropdownMenu', () => {
+  it('keeps Base UI popup behavior on the visible menu content element', async () => {
+    const user = userEvent.setup();
+
+    render(<TestDropdownMenu />);
+
+    await user.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Open user menu' }));
+
+    const menu = await screen.findByRole('menu');
+    expect(menu).toHaveAttribute('data-slot', 'dropdown-menu-content');
+    expect(menu).toHaveAttribute('data-state', 'open');
+    expect(menu).toHaveAttribute('data-testid', 'user-menu');
+    expect(menu).toHaveAttribute('id', 'user-menu');
+    expect(menu).toHaveClass('custom-menu');
+    const item = screen.getByRole('menuitem', { name: 'Preferences' });
+    expect(item).toBeInTheDocument();
+
+    await user.hover(item);
+    expect(screen.getByRole('menu')).toBeInTheDocument();
+
+    await user.keyboard('{Escape}');
+    expect(screen.queryByRole('menu')).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/redpanda-ui/components/dropdown-menu.tsx b/frontend/src/components/redpanda-ui/components/dropdown-menu.tsx
index f407738934..ab553257ca 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/redpanda-ui/components/dropdown-menu.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/redpanda-ui/components/dropdown-menu.tsx
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 import { Menu as DropdownMenuPrimitive } from '@base-ui/react/menu';
 import { Check, ChevronRight, Circle } from 'lucide-react';
-import { AnimatePresence, type HTMLMotionProps, motion, type Transition } from 'motion/react';
+import { motion, type Transition } from 'motion/react';
 import React from 'react';
 
 import { MotionHighlight, MotionHighlightItem } from './motion-highlight';
@@ -179,10 +179,9 @@ function DropdownMenuSubContent({ className, ...props }: DropdownMenuSubContentP
   );
 }
 
-type DropdownMenuContentProps = React.ComponentProps<typeof DropdownMenuPrimitive.Popup> &
-  HTMLMotionProps<'div'> &
-  Pick<PortalContentProps, 'container' | 'onOpenAutoFocus'> & {
-    transition?: Transition;
+type DropdownMenuContentProps = React.HTMLAttributes<HTMLDivElement> &
+  Pick<React.ComponentProps<typeof DropdownMenuPrimitive.Popup>, 'finalFocus'> &
+  Pick<PortalContentProps, 'container'> & {
     sideOffset?: number;
     align?: 'start' | 'center' | 'end';
     alignOffset?: number;
@@ -190,8 +189,9 @@ type DropdownMenuContentProps = React.ComponentProps<typeof DropdownMenuPrimitiv
     /**
      * Keep the portal subtree mounted across close cycles. Set this when a
      * descendant `<Dialog>` / `<AlertDialog>` needs to outlive menu close;
-     * trades the close animation for subtree survival. Avoid on long lists —
-     * prefer the sibling-dialog pattern there. See the
+     * closed-state CSS animation classes only get a chance to run in this
+     * mode because the default path unmounts immediately on close. Avoid on
+     * long lists — prefer the sibling-dialog pattern there. See the
      * `dropdown-menu-nested-dialog` demo. @default false
      */
     keepMounted?: boolean;
@@ -204,10 +204,10 @@ function DropdownMenuContent({
   align,
   alignOffset,
   side,
-  transition = { duration: 0.2 },
   container,
-  onOpenAutoFocus: _onOpenAutoFocus,
+  finalFocus,
   keepMounted = false,
+  style,
   ...props
 }: DropdownMenuContentProps) {
   const { isOpen, highlightTransition, animateOnHover } = useDropdownMenu();
@@ -221,58 +221,38 @@ function DropdownMenuContent({
       side={side}
       sideOffset={sideOffset}
     >
-      <DropdownMenuPrimitive.Popup data-slot="dropdown-menu-popup" render={renderWithDataState('div')}>
-        <motion.div
-          animate={
-            keepMounted
-              ? undefined
-              : {
-                  opacity: 1,
-                  scale: 1,
-                }
-          }
-          className={cn(
-            'data-[state=closed]:fade-out-0 data-[state=open]:fade-in-0 data-[state=closed]:zoom-out-95 data-[state=open]:zoom-in-95 data-[side=bottom]:slide-in-from-top-2 data-[side=left]:slide-in-from-right-2 data-[side=right]:slide-in-from-left-2 data-[side=top]:slide-in-from-bottom-2 z-50 max-h-(--available-height) min-w-[8rem] origin-(--transform-origin) overflow-y-auto overflow-x-hidden rounded-md border bg-popover p-1 text-popover-foreground shadow-md data-[state=closed]:animate-out data-[state=open]:animate-in',
-            className
-          )}
-          data-slot="dropdown-menu-content"
-          exit={
-            keepMounted
-              ? undefined
-              : {
-                  opacity: 0,
-                  scale: 0.95,
-                }
-          }
-          initial={
-            keepMounted
-              ? undefined
-              : {
-                  opacity: 0,
-                  scale: 0.95,
-                }
-          }
-          key="dropdown-menu-content"
-          style={{ willChange: 'opacity, transform' }}
-          transition={keepMounted ? undefined : transition}
-          {...props}
-        >
-          <MotionHighlight
-            className="rounded-sm"
-            controlledItems
-            enabled={animateOnHover}
-            hover
-            transition={highlightTransition}
+      <DropdownMenuPrimitive.Popup
+        finalFocus={finalFocus}
+        render={(popupProps, state) => (
+          <div
+            {...popupProps}
+            {...props}
+            className={cn(
+              popupProps.className,
+              'data-[state=closed]:fade-out-0 data-[state=open]:fade-in-0 data-[state=closed]:zoom-out-95 data-[state=open]:zoom-in-95 data-[side=bottom]:slide-in-from-top-2 data-[side=left]:slide-in-from-right-2 data-[side=right]:slide-in-from-left-2 data-[side=top]:slide-in-from-bottom-2 z-50 max-h-(--available-height) min-w-[8rem] origin-(--transform-origin) overflow-y-auto overflow-x-hidden rounded-md border bg-popover p-1 text-popover-foreground shadow-md data-[state=closed]:animate-out data-[state=open]:animate-in',
+              className
+            )}
+            data-slot="dropdown-menu-content"
+            data-state={state.open ? 'open' : 'closed'}
+            style={{ ...popupProps.style, ...style, willChange: 'opacity, transform' }}
           >
-            {children}
-          </MotionHighlight>
-        </motion.div>
-      </DropdownMenuPrimitive.Popup>
+            <MotionHighlight
+              className="rounded-sm"
+              controlledItems
+              enabled={animateOnHover}
+              hover
+              transition={highlightTransition}
+            >
+              {children}
+            </MotionHighlight>
+          </div>
+        )}
+      />
     </DropdownMenuPrimitive.Positioner>
   );
 
-  // No `<AnimatePresence>` here on purpose — wrapping it would reintroduce the
-  // unmount-on-close that `keepMounted` exists to avoid.
+  // No `<AnimatePresence>` here on purpose: the rendered popup must remain the
+  // Base UI popup element so focus and pointer interactions stay pinned to it.
   if (keepMounted) {
     return (
       <DropdownMenuPrimitive.Portal
@@ -285,18 +265,14 @@ function DropdownMenuContent({
     );
   }
 
+  if (!isOpen) {
+    return null;
+  }
+
   return (
-    <AnimatePresence>
-      {isOpen ? (
-        <DropdownMenuPrimitive.Portal
-          container={container ?? portalContainer}
-          data-slot="dropdown-menu-portal"
-          keepMounted
-        >
-          {popup}
-        </DropdownMenuPrimitive.Portal>
-      ) : null}
-    </AnimatePresence>
+    <DropdownMenuPrimitive.Portal container={container ?? portalContainer} data-slot="dropdown-menu-portal">
+      {popup}
+    </DropdownMenuPrimitive.Portal>
   );
 }