Migos was formed in 2009, by Quavo (born Quavious Keyate Marshall), Takeoff (born Kirsnick Khari Ball), and Offset (born Kiari Kendrell Cephus), originally known as Polo Club and from Lawrenceville, Georgia. The three members are directly related and were raised together; Quavo is Takeoff's uncle, and Offset is Quavo's cousin. The three of them grew up together in Gwinnett County, a mostly suburban area half an hour northeast of Atlanta. "I ain't going to sit here like, 'My neighborhood was hard, and I had to get out there and grind.' We made it hard for ourselves. We chose to stay on the streets," Quavo said. The group released their first full-length project, a mixtape titled Juug Season, on August 25, 2011. They followed with the mixtape No Label on June 1, 2012.

When Migos first rose to prominence in 2013, Offset was incarcerated in Georgia's Dekalb County jail for violating his probation that he had received due to prior felony convictions for burglary and theft.

On March 14, 2014, it was revealed by Migos' mixtape Y.R.N. 2, that the project had turned out to be a full-fledged album. The trio were aiming to have at least 20 songs on the album. In June 2014, it was revealed that Migos had signed a deal to 300 Entertainment, which is distributed by Atlantic Records. In June 2014, their single "Fight Night" was featured on XXL's "25 Best Songs of 2014 so far" list. It peaked at number 69 on the Billboard Hot 100. Following the release of their mixtape, Rich Nigga Timeline, which was released on November 5, 2014, Rolling Stone voted it the 7th-best rap album of 2014.

After eight months in custody, Offset was released on December 4, 2015, after accepting an Alford plea deal. The plea deal dropped the gun, drug, and gang-related charges in exchange for pleading guilty to inciting a riot within a penal facility; paying a $1,000 fine; serving five years probation; and banishment from Bulloch, Effingham, Jenkins, and Screven Counties. Takeoff, facing misdemeanor marijuana charges, also accepted a plea deal and was sentenced with 12 months' probation. Quavo pleaded no contest to misdemeanor marijuana charges and received a 12-month sentence, which was suspended based on payment of fines.

On March 17, 2016, Offset was arrested for driving with a suspended license in Atlanta but was released the next day without having charges filed against him. Offset has since claimed his license was never suspended and the police detained him without probable cause.

On July 7, 2017, Takeoff was asked to leave a FLIGHT from Atlanta to Des Moines, Iowa, after he reportedly refused to move his bag from the floor to an overhead storage bin prior to takeoff.

In March 2018, the Washington Avenue Armory in Albany, New York sued the group for allegedly inciting a riot at the venue in 2015, when six people were stabbed. A concertgoer who suffered facial injuries also sued the band and the venue.