Crystals of the title compound, C(15)H(15)N(3)O(3), were obtained from a condensation reaction of 4-nitro-phenyl-hydrazine and 3-methoxy-acetophenone. In the crystal structure, the methoxy-phenyl ring is twisted slightly with respect to the nitro-phenyl-hydrazine plane, making a dihedral angle of 14.81 (8)°. The nitro and meth-oxy groups are each coplanar with the attached benzene rings. The nitro-phenyl and methoxy-phenyl groups are located on opposite sides of the C=N double bond, indicating an E configuration of the mol-ecule. Adjacent mol-ecules are linked together via N-H⋯O hydrogen bonding, forming chains along the [101] direction.