Part of the reason I like design tokens is that they are a middle ground between the chaos of utility classes[0] and impracticality of pure semantics, while being in a way better defined than either of them.
Want a token for a colour with negative semantics? Sure! A token for chartreuse-200? Be my guest! At least, chartreuse-200 on your page will be the same as chartreuse-200 on my page, so that the look is consistent and without distracting incidental variation in hue.
[0] When it comes to CSS—of course, design tokens reside on another layer of abstraction, not tied to any particular implementation.
Want a token for a colour with negative semantics? Sure! A token for chartreuse-200? Be my guest! At least, chartreuse-200 on your page will be the same as chartreuse-200 on my page, so that the look is consistent and without distracting incidental variation in hue.
[0] When it comes to CSS—of course, design tokens reside on another layer of abstraction, not tied to any particular implementation.