Optoelectronic nanocomposites are a new class of materials, which exhibit very interesting and particular properties and attract a growing attention due to their potential applications in information storage and optoelectronic devices. Zinc oxide, ZnO, is one of the most interesting binary semiconductor (3.37 eV) with very important optical properties, which can be used in the fields such as short wavelength lasers, blue light emitting diodes, UV detectors, gas sensors, etc. This paper reviews the very recent progress in the preparation of silica-based ZnO nanocomposites. After an introduction reviewing the theoretical background, the article will begin with a survey of the optical properties and the quantum size effect (QSE) of ZnO/SiO2 nanocomposites prepared by the inclusion of ZnO nanoclusters inside silica mesoporous materials. The second part will focus on one of the most interesting properties of ZnO/SiO2 nanocomposites, which is the random lasing effect after one- and two-photon excitation. The final part will deal with the introduction of ZnO nanoparticles inside microporous zeolites and the observation of QSE. For comparison, the photoluminescence (PL) and QSE properties of ZnS nanoparticles occluded in mesoporous media are also described. New potential applications will be discussed since short-wavelength devices are required by industry to design, for instance, new information storage supports and biolabelling devices.