Move away from the WIMP or axion paradigms, and you probably have to give up on the idea that dark matter consists of a single type of particle
Perhaps dark matter is made of an entirely different kind of particle than the ones physicists have been searching for. New experiments are springing up to look for these ultra-lightweight phantoms.
Dogged Dark Matter Hunters Find New Hiding Places to Check
https://www.quantamagazine.org/dogged-dark-matter-hunters-find-new-hiding-places-to-check-20240507/