Two new poly(phenylenevinylene)s with alkoxyphenyl subsituents were synthesized and characterized. The polymers were obtained in moderate molecular weights and were amorphous. They showed enhanced solubility in common organic solvents, T. in the range 135-140 degreesC, and satisfactory thermal stability. The polymers displayed blue fluorescence both in solution and in the solid state, because side phenyls interrupted the effective conjugation length. Their PL spectra exhibited maxima around 420, 444, and 460 nm in solution and in solid state, respectively. The PL quantum yields in solution were determined and ranged up to 0.31. UV-vis, PLE, and PL studies in THF solution and in thin films revealed that the polymers showed a reduced tendency to form aggregates in solid state.