With a roll crimp, the case mouth hits a shoulder in the die and is bent/folded (rolled) inward against the bullet.
With a taper crimp, the die tapes, gradually squeezing the case against the bullet.
A roll crimp works best when there is someplace on the bullet for the brass to go. (crimp groove or cannelure) A taper crimp works with bullets that don't have that.
In the context of straight walled handgun brass, most of them are fired from revolvers, and a crimp is often needed, because in a revolver recoil acts as an inertia bullet puller (sort of in reverse), and a roll crimp is strongest.
There are combinations of gun weight, bullet weight and recoil force that will defeat a taper crimp. This is also possible with a roll crimp, but much less likely.
Roll crimp also does a better job of standing up to the pressures of a tubular magazine, and is a virtual necessity for that kind of use.
Also, a (heavy) roll crimp's hold on the bullet aids in combustion of slow burning powders used in magnum pistol loads.