Merriam-Webster Online辞典说是a noisy quarrel or fight,一场喧闹的争吵或打架。
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary也说是a noisy and violent fight involving a group of people, usually in a public place,一场喧闹而暴力的打架,有一群人参加的,通常是在公共场所。
Oxford词典甚至进一步把brawl和其他几个同义词并列一起,说明都是描述那种情况的,就是人们互相试图用肢体力量打败对方(These are all words for a situation in which people try to defeat each other using physical force)。注意其说的是“互相”(each other)。很明确,对双方是一律贬的。