Green’s Dictionary of Slang

socially unacceptable, vulgar, noisy, rough.

1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc. (2nd edn) 202: Rowdy-dow low, vulgar ‘not the cheese,’ or thing.
1873		Sl. Dict.
1915		O.O. McIntyre N.Y. Day by Day 27 Dec. [synd. col.] In the rowdy-dow places it seems to be the main ambition [...] to get plain, old-fashioned, hell-roaringly stewed.