Application of MPLS without L2/L3VPNs?

So I've been kind of struggling with this.

MPLS and label distribution protocols (LDP/RSVP/Static) are always shown in conjunction with configuration of various MPLS applications (the most common being MPLS L3VPNs). That is the most obvious use case.

However, from what I understand as MPLS L3VPNs is a collection of 3 separate technologies (VRFs, MPLS transport, L3VPN).

Given that they are 3 separate technologies, wouldn't they have applications/use cases separate from each other?

For example, I can have VRFs as a form of network separation without running mpls. However, MPLS applications (L2/L3VPNs) cannot work without a functioning MPLS network.

How was MPLS used before mpls applications like L2/L3 VPNS?