JS is better as a second language, because of DOM issues. It's better for a beginner not to have to worry about those. It is very convenient for beginners because it's built into the browsers, and many people learn it concurrently with something else. You could do a lot worse than JS.
For a first language, look at Python/Ruby and choose what you're most comfortable with.
If you're absolutely new to web programming then the first thing you must learn is HTML. Some may think thats a given, but I think it's important to point out. If you can't get your head around HTML, you're not going to be building websites.
For a first language, look at Python/Ruby and choose what you're most comfortable with.