We examine PBW deformations of finite group extensions of skew polynomial rings, in particular the quantum Drinfeld orbifold algebras defined by the first author. We give a homological interpretation, in terms of Gerstenhaber brackets, of the necessary and sufficient conditions on parameter functions to define a quantum Drinfeld orbifold algebra, thus clarifying the conditions. In case the acting group is trivial, we determine conditions under which such a PBW deformation is a generalized enveloping algebra of a color Lie algebra; our PBW deformations include these algebras as a special case.