A roller disco is a combined discothèque and skating rink, where attendees are encouraged to participate in roller skating while dancing, or to observe skilled dancers from the sidelines. Quad skates and (more recently) inline skates may be available for rent, and there is often a snack bar with a seating area.

Traditionally, roller discos employ a live disc jockey and incorporate complex sound systems, lighting effects, neon lights, fog machines, traffic lights, disco balls, and sometimes a separate illuminated dance floor. These decorations offer "exhilarating experiences" and allude to a "vibrant urban subculture" in a way that regular roller rinks do not. Roller disco music is usually highly rhythmic and danceable; historically, it falls within the disco genre, but almost any form of dance, pop, house, R&B, or rock music is commonly played.

Historically, roller disco events have included disco song premieres, "roller marathons for charity", "roller disco contests", and "roller fund‐raisers".

Roller skating as a hobby originated in the 19th century and peaked in popularity around 1942.

In 1970s Chicago, a "new corps of skaters described themselves as 'JB skaters'", being fans of James Brown's music. The JB skating style consists of "grooves and bounces, fancy footwork, and standing dance routines". Similarly, "bebop" and "soul" skating began in Detroit as organ-driven rinks declined in popularity to make way for skating to rock-and-roll music.

The Empire Skate Center in New York City is credited as the birthplace of roller disco, most notably due to Bill "Mr. Charisma" Butler. The inventor of jam skating and an influencer during the 1979 craze, Butler is today known as the Godfather of Roller Disco.

In 1957, serviceman and rollerskater Bill "Mr. Charisma" Butler visited the Empire Roller Rink, where he found all-black clientele skating to organ music. He encouraged the owners of the Empire Roller Rink to incorporate jazz and R&B vinyls, which would better reflect the cultural preferences of the community. When the disc-jockeyed music proved successful, Butler became a regular attendee, showcasing the new dance technique he had invented in Alaska called jammin' (jam skating). Sometime before the 1970s, Butler convinced skater Gloria McCarthy (whose father owned the Empire Skate Center) to start a "Bounce" night to promote jam skating. By the 1970s, Butler became the rink's instructor, performer, and creative consultant.

Beginning in 1976, the Village Skating rink in Greenwich Village, New York became among the first places to incorporate disco nightclub music in a roller rink setting. Skater Marion Green praised the timing, location, and social environment of the Village Skating, stating that it was "a scene built on the ethics of family and a celebration of diversity, fulfilling the dream of the venue's founder Richard 'Dick' Clammer". Village Skating's DJ Julio Estien (also a skater of the Village Wizards), recalled,