There have been a spate of major demonstrations on college campuses from California to Massachusetts over the past week
The cause of the blast was not immediately clear and there was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said the explosion went off on the second floor of a hotel where tribal elders were staying. The elders were in Jalalabad for a meeting about a new electronic identity cards being introduced by the central government.
Jalalabad is capital of Nangarhar province, on the border with Pakistan, where an affiliate of Islamic State has established a stronghold in recent years.
The movement has claimed several attacks in Jalalabad, most recently last month when it targeted an office of the Save the Children aid group in the city.