Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a commotion, esp. as (US jazz) , a spell of wild, destructive behaviour, a mêlée.

1852		‘The Cadger’s Ball’ in Farmer Musa Pedestris (1896) 147: Oh, what a spicy flare-up, tear-up, / Festival Terpsichory.
1999		Guardian Guide 31 July–6 Aug. 23: Like the cavalry in the last reel of a John Wayne movie, looking for a good tear-up with those pesky Injuns.
2004		N. ‘Razor’ Smith A Few Kind Words and a Loaded Gun 261: I wouldn’t have fancied Sly’s chances if it had come to a tear-up.