Water soluble fluorescent or colored dyes comprising conjugating groups

A compound having the following structure (Ia):

• or a salt or stereoisomer thereof, wherein:
• M1 is, at each occurrence, independently a fluorescent or colored moiety comprising two or more double bonds and at least one degree of conjugation, and at least one occurrence of M1 is a fluorescent or colored moiety comprising three or more aryl or heteroaryl rings, or combinations thereof;
• L1 is, at each occurrence, independently an optional alkylene linker;
• L3 and L7 are, at each occurrence, independently alkylene linkers;
• R1 is, at each occurrence, independently H, alkyl or alkoxy;
• R2 is -L9-(L10)z-L11-Q;
• R3 is OH, SH, —NH2, alkyl, alkylether, hydroxylalkyl, aminoalkyl, hydroxylalkylether, sulfhydrylalkyl, sulfyhdrylalkylether, cyanoalkyl, —Oaralkyl, phosphate, thiophosphate, alkylphospho, alkylthiophospho, —Oalkylphospho, —Oalkylthiophospho, alkyletherphospho, alkyletherthiophospho, —Oalkyletherphospho, —Oalkyletherthiophospho phosphoalkyl, phosphoalkylether, thiophosphoalkyl, thiophosphoalkylether, —Ophosphoalkyl, —Ophosphoalkylether, —Othiophosphoalkyl or —Othiophosphoalkylether;
• R4 is, at each occurrence, independently O−, or OZ, where Z is a cation;
• R5 is, at each occurrence, independently oxo;
• L9 is an optional C1-C6 alkylene linker;
• L11 is an optional linker;
• (L10)z has one of the following structures:
• where b is an integer from 2 to 10;
• Q is sulfhydryl, disulfide, activated ester, isothiocyanate, azide, alkyne, alkene, diene, dienophile, acid halide, sulfonyl halide, phosphine, α-haloamide, biotin, amino or a maleimide;
• and
• n is an integer from 1 to 20.