A dance-pop and teen pop song, it contains a pop-sounding melody, a strong beat, and a funk-styled pre-verse breakdown, with vocal harmonies performed during the refrain.

[1] It was written by Max Martin and the producer Kristian Lundin in a three-day period after the band's debut single "I Want You Back" started appearing on several European charts.

The song's recording occurred throughout the night until 6 a.m. without any rest breaks, with JC Chasez as the final member to perform the concluding takes.

[16][17][18] Quad-City Times staff praised the production for containing "engaging personality" in comparison to other boy bands, but critiqued the lyrics for being "mildly clichéd", and the song for not altering the direction of pop music.

[19] Chuck Campbell of Naples Daily News similarly commended the "near-memorable" production and "catchy" refrain of "Tearin' Up My Heart", although he commented that they were used to mask the song's "lack of imagination".

[10] Writing for The Indianapolis Star, David Lindquist questioned the production for sounding too similar to late-1980s inspirations such as Rick Astley, and opined that every NSYNC member did not have "an exceptional voice".

[30] "Tearin' Up My Heart" bowed at number twenty on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart issued April 25, 1999, where it remained for 12 weeks.

[41] The MTV premiere of "Tearin' Up My Heart" in the United States altered a scene from the original European release, which otherwise remained intact.

The scene depicted an adolescent female lying next to Timberlake on a bed, with the former digitally erased under orders from NSYNC's record label to maintain their innocent image.

Writing for The Dispatch following the Quad Cities concert in 1999, Marc Nesseler opined that the song had "the most enjoyable synchronized dance steps of the night".

[55] During MTV's Spring Break coverage on March 19, 1999, NSYNC performed "Tearin' Up My Heart" on the program's "Fashionably Loud" segment.

[61][62] The remaining NSYNC members without Timberlake appeared at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 14, 2019, to perform with headliner Ariana Grande.

[65] They appeared as Grande's surprise guests to sing the bridge of "Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored", which sampled "It Makes Me Ill" from their second studio album No Strings Attached.

[13][66] The accompanying video screen resembled a VHS tape with ripples and numbers,[67] as NSYNC's appearance at the event was positively received by the loud crowd.

[13] "Tearin' Up My Heart" was used on NSYNC's episode of Becoming, an MTV program where fans recreate a music video filmed by the original artist.