Push-pull indole-containing nonlinear optical chromophores with different acceptor and pi-conjugated moieties have been synthesized and characterized. Experimental measurements of the second-order nonlinear optical response demonstrated that the chromophores exhibit similar or superior optical nonlinearity compared with their analogues with an aniline moiety as the donor group, but the indole-based chromophores display blue-shifted absorption, even up to 30 nm.