juke

Use the word juke when you talk about a little roadside bar where you can dance to jukebox music or a live band. Another word for a juke is a “roadhouse.”

If you visit a rowdy rural bar with dancing and beer, you can call it a juke. Many country and blues bands got their start playing at jukes in the south, although some jukes offer jukeboxes as their only music. You can also call it a “juke joint.” The word juke comes from the Southern United States Creole known as Gullah — in which juke or joog means “wicked” or “disorderly.”