There is a great deal of interest in developing &pgr;-conjugated polymeric semiconductor based diode lasers which can yield lasing under electrical excitation. Towards this goal, tunable cavity lasing was achieved in a poly(para-phenylene vinylene) derivative alternating block copolymer, BMPPV, dispersed in an active solid matrix of poly(9-vinylcarbazole), with which this block co-polymer also exhibits strong electroluminescence. The laser operated in the blue region of the spectrum over the range 480 to 510 nm, with an optical efficiency approaching 10&percent;. Linewidth narrowing and a narrowing of the temporal profile are reported. Operating lifetime of the solid-state laser was in excess of 5000 pulses at the same pumping position on the sample. Lasing properties of the same block copolymer in the solution phase were also investigated and the results compared with the solid state laser performance. ©1997 American Institute of Physics.