--- a/browser/base/content/tabbrowser.xml
+++ b/browser/base/content/tabbrowser.xml
@@ -2189,16 +2189,17 @@
             var aNoReferrer;
             var aUserContextId;
             var aEventDetail;
             var aSameProcessAsFrameLoader;
             var aOriginPrincipal;
             var aDisallowInheritPrincipal;
             var aOpener;
             var aCreateLazyBrowser;
+            var aSkipBackgroundNotify;
             if (arguments.length == 2 &&
                 typeof arguments[1] == "object" &&
                 !(arguments[1] instanceof Ci.nsIURI)) {
               let params = arguments[1];
               aTriggeringPrincipal      = params.triggeringPrincipal;
               aReferrerURI              = params.referrerURI;
               aReferrerPolicy           = params.referrerPolicy;
               aCharset                  = params.charset;
@@ -2215,16 +2216,17 @@
               aUserContextId            = params.userContextId;
               aEventDetail              = params.eventDetail;
               aSameProcessAsFrameLoader = params.sameProcessAsFrameLoader;
               aOriginPrincipal          = params.originPrincipal;
               aDisallowInheritPrincipal = params.disallowInheritPrincipal;
               aOpener                   = params.opener;
               aIsPrerendered            = params.isPrerendered;
               aCreateLazyBrowser        = params.createLazyBrowser;
+              aSkipBackgroundNotify     = params.skipBackgroundNotify;
             }
 
             // if we're adding tabs, we're past interrupt mode, ditch the owner
             if (this.mCurrentTab.owner)
               this.mCurrentTab.owner = null;
 
             var t = document.createElementNS(NS_XUL, "tab");
 
@@ -2249,16 +2251,21 @@
             }
 
             if (aUserContextId) {
               t.setAttribute("usercontextid", aUserContextId);
               ContextualIdentityService.setTabStyle(t);
             }
 
             t.setAttribute("onerror", "this.removeAttribute('image');");
+
+            if (aSkipBackgroundNotify) {
+              t.setAttribute("skipbackgroundnotify", true);
+            }
+
             t.className = "tabbrowser-tab";
 
             this.tabContainer._unlockTabSizing();
 
             // When overflowing, new tabs are scrolled into view smoothly, which
             // doesn't go well together with the width transition. So we skip the
             // transition in that case.
             let animate = !aSkipAnimation &&
@@ -6308,20 +6315,20 @@
               return;
             }
 
             this.mTabstrip._smoothScrollByPixels(this.mTabstrip._isRTLScrollbox ?
                                                  selected.right - scrollRect.right :
                                                  selected.left - scrollRect.left);
           }
 
-          if (!this._animateElement.hasAttribute("notifybgtab")) {
-            this._animateElement.setAttribute("notifybgtab", "true");
+          if (!this._animateElement.hasAttribute("highlight")) {
+            this._animateElement.setAttribute("highlight", "true");
             setTimeout(function(ele) {
-              ele.removeAttribute("notifybgtab");
+              ele.removeAttribute("highlight");
             }, 150, this._animateElement);
           }
         ]]></body>
       </method>
 
       <method name="_getDragTargetTab">
         <parameter name="event"/>
         <parameter name="isLink"/>
@@ -6399,17 +6406,17 @@
             return;
           tab._fullyOpen = true;
 
           this.adjustTabstrip();
 
           if (tab.getAttribute("selected") == "true") {
             this._fillTrailingGap();
             this._handleTabSelect();
-          } else {
+          } else if (!tab.hasAttribute("skipbackgroundnotify")) {
             this._notifyBackgroundTab(tab);
           }
 
           // XXXmano: this is a temporary workaround for bug 345399
           // We need to manually update the scroll buttons disabled state
           // if a tab was inserted to the overflow area or removed from it
           // without any scrolling and when the tabbar has already
           // overflowed.

--- a/browser/components/sessionstore/SessionStore.jsm
+++ b/browser/components/sessionstore/SessionStore.jsm
@@ -3217,18 +3217,19 @@ var SessionStoreInternal = {
     for (var t = 0; t < newTabCount; t++) {
       // When trying to restore into existing tab, we also take the userContextId
       // into account if present.
       let userContextId = winData.tabs[t].userContextId;
       let reuseExisting = t < openTabCount &&
                           (tabbrowser.tabs[t].getAttribute("usercontextid") == (userContextId || ""));
       let tab = reuseExisting ? this._maybeUpdateBrowserRemoteness(tabbrowser.tabs[t])
                               : tabbrowser.addTab("about:blank",
-                                                  {skipAnimation: true,
-                                                   userContextId});
+                                                  { skipAnimation: true,
+                                                    userContextId,
+                                                    skipBackgroundNotify: true });
 
       // If we inserted a new tab because the userContextId didn't match with the
       // open tab, even though `t < openTabCount`, we need to remove that open tab
       // and put the newly added tab in its place.
       if (!reuseExisting && t < openTabCount) {
         tabbrowser.removeTab(tabbrowser.tabs[t]);
         tabbrowser.moveTabTo(tab, t);
       }

--- a/browser/components/sessionstore/TabAttributes.jsm
+++ b/browser/components/sessionstore/TabAttributes.jsm
@@ -9,17 +9,18 @@ this.EXPORTED_SYMBOLS = ["TabAttributes"
 // We never want to directly read or write these attributes.
 // 'image' should not be accessed directly but handled by using the
 //         gBrowser.getIcon()/setIcon() methods.
 // 'muted' should not be accessed directly but handled by using the
 //         tab.linkedBrowser.audioMuted/toggleMuteAudio methods.
 // 'pending' is used internal by sessionstore and managed accordingly.
 // 'iconLoadingPrincipal' is same as 'image' that it should be handled by
 //                        using the gBrowser.getIcon()/setIcon() methods.
-const ATTRIBUTES_TO_SKIP = new Set(["image", "muted", "pending", "iconLoadingPrincipal"]);
+const ATTRIBUTES_TO_SKIP = new Set(["image", "muted", "pending", "iconLoadingPrincipal",
+                                    "skipbackgroundnotify"]);
 
 // A set of tab attributes to persist. We will read a given list of tab
 // attributes when collecting tab data and will re-set those attributes when
 // the given tab data is restored to a new tab.
 this.TabAttributes = Object.freeze({
   persist(name) {
     return TabAttributesInternal.persist(name);
   },

--- a/browser/themes/linux/browser.css
+++ b/browser/themes/linux/browser.css
@@ -1371,17 +1371,17 @@ html|span.ac-emphasize-text-url {
 .tabbrowser-arrowscrollbox > .scrollbutton-down:-moz-locale-dir(ltr) {
   transform: scaleX(-1);
 }
 
 .tabbrowser-arrowscrollbox > .scrollbutton-down {
   transition: 1s background-color ease-out;
 }
 
-.tabbrowser-arrowscrollbox > .scrollbutton-down[notifybgtab] {
+.tabbrowser-arrowscrollbox > .scrollbutton-down[highlight] {
   background-color: Highlight;
   transition: none;
 }
 
 #TabsToolbar .toolbarbutton-1 {
   margin-bottom: var(--tab-toolbar-navbar-overlap);
 }
 

--- a/browser/themes/osx/browser.css
+++ b/browser/themes/osx/browser.css
@@ -2586,17 +2586,17 @@ toolbarbutton.chevron > .toolbarbutton-m
   border-inline-end: 2px solid transparent;
 }
 
 .tabbrowser-arrowscrollbox > .scrollbutton-down {
   border-inline-start: 2px solid transparent;
   transition: 1s background-color ease-out;
 }
 
-.tabbrowser-arrowscrollbox > .scrollbutton-down[notifybgtab] {
+.tabbrowser-arrowscrollbox > .scrollbutton-down[highlight] {
   background-color: Highlight;
   transition: none;
 }
 
 .tabbrowser-arrowscrollbox > .scrollbutton-up:-moz-locale-dir(ltr),
 .tabbrowser-arrowscrollbox > .scrollbutton-down:-moz-locale-dir(rtl) {
   list-style-image: url("chrome://browser/skin/tabbrowser/tab-arrow-left.png");
 }

--- a/browser/themes/windows/browser.css
+++ b/browser/themes/windows/browser.css
@@ -1929,17 +1929,17 @@ html|span.ac-emphasize-text-url {
 .tabbrowser-arrowscrollbox > .scrollbutton-down:-moz-locale-dir(ltr) {
   transform: scaleX(-1);
 }
 
 .tabbrowser-arrowscrollbox > .scrollbutton-down {
   transition: 1s background-color ease-out;
 }
 
-.tabbrowser-arrowscrollbox > .scrollbutton-down[notifybgtab] {
+.tabbrowser-arrowscrollbox > .scrollbutton-down[highlight] {
   background-color: Highlight;
   transition: none;
 }
 
 .tabs-newtab-button > .toolbarbutton-icon {
   margin-top: -1px;
   margin-bottom: -1px;
 }