Cathodoluminescence (CL) as a radiative light produced by an electron beam exciting a luminescent material, has been widely used in imaging and spectroscopic detection of semiconductor, mineral and biological samples with an ultrahigh spatial resolution. Conventional CL spectroscopy shows an excellent performance in characterization of traditional material luminescence, such as spatial composition variations and fluorescent displays. With the development of nanotechnology, advances of modern microscopy enable CL technique to obtain deep valuable insight of the testing sample, and further extend its applications in the material science, especially for opto-electronic investigations at nanoscale. In this article, we review the study of CL microscopy applied in semiconductor nanostructures for the dislocation, carrier diffusion, band structure, doping level and exciton recombination. Then advantages of CL in revealing and manipulating surface plasmon resonances of metallic nanoantennas are discussed. Finally, the challenge of CL technology is summarized, and potential CL applications for the future opto-electronic study are proposed.